On Thursday President Obama vetoed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which funds the American military. There was strong bipartisan support for the bill, which passed the House of Representatives on a 270-156 vote and was approved in the Senate on an even more lopsided vote of 70-27.
Because of the obvious importance of funding our military, a presidential veto of the NDAA is rare – it’s only happened four times before. It is especially unusual this year because the bill’s funding level met the President’s request. But Obama is now demanding more funding for domestic programs and is also objecting to the NDAA’s restrictions on his ability to close the GITMO prison in Cuba and transfer the terrorists there to the United States.
We already know this president really likes to spend money – we’ve seen his failed stimulus programs and green-energy boondoggles. But holding our military hostage in order to raise spending even more is beyond the pale. Our servicemen and servicewomen are making huge sacrifices for their country, and they deserve to know their missions will not be exploited as a political bargaining chip in Washington. And it’s simply inexplicable that President Obama would jeopardize their missions in order to realize his bizarre scheme to bring some of the world’s worst terrorists into America.
I look forward to Congress’ upcoming vote to override the President’s veto.
Separately, I will be appearing on CBS’ Face the Nation this Sunday. In most Central Valley locations the show will begin airing at 8:30 am PST. For a list of broadcast times, click this link.
