The House of Representatives on Monday, December 28 rejected by a large majority Donald Trump's veto on the defense budget, paving the way for a final vote in the Senate.
It would be the first time Congress has circumvented a veto by the 45th President of the United States.
More than two-thirds of parliamentarians present in the House voted in favor of this budget
"despite the president's objections"
, ie the qualified majority necessary to overcome his veto: 212 Democrats but also 109 Republicans, signing a stinging setback for the president outgoing.
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The result of long negotiations, the budget of $ 740.5 billion was adopted in early December by overwhelming majorities by the House, with a Democratic majority, and the Senate, controlled by the Republicans.
In particular, it provides for a 3% increase in the salary of Defense personnel.
Donald Trump announced on December 23 that he was vetoing it, causing consternation even in his camp.
In addition to being, according to him, too favorable to China, the American president notably reproaches the text of opening up the possibility of renaming military bases honoring Confederate generals, who fought in defense of slavery during the Civil War ( 1861-1865).
He also justified his opposition by the fact that the text did not include the abolition of a law, known as “article 230”, protecting the legal status of social networks, which he accuses of being biased against him.
No date for Senate vote
This is the ninth time that Donald Trump has vetoed a law in four years in office.
Congress has so far never gathered enough votes to override its veto.
In the hemicycle, Republican Mac Thornberry, number two on the House Armed Forces Committee, urged his camp to override the presidential veto.
"This is the same text, not a comma has changed"
than that adopted
"more than 80% by the House twenty days ago,"
he pleaded Monday.
No date has yet been set for the vote in the Senate, where a two-thirds majority will also be needed to overcome Donald Trump's veto.
The Defense budget was adopted by 84 votes to 13.
Although he still disputes his loss to Joe Biden, Donald Trump will hand over the presidency to him on January 20.