Happy Wednesday and welcome to Overnight Defense. I’m Rebecca Kheel, and here’s your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. CLICK HERE to subscribe to the newsletter.
Programming note: Overnight Defense will be taking a break for the holidays. We will return Monday, Jan. 4. Have a happy and safe holiday!
THE TOPLINE: The stage is officially set for a dramatic conclusion on this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
President TrumpDonald TrumpMcCarthy to offer UC request to revisit foreign spending in omnibus GOP senator on Trump pardons: ‘This is rotten to the core’ Trump pardons Manafort, Stone and Charles Kushner in latest round MORE on Wednesday made good on his repeated threats to veto the must-pass defense bill.
In a message notifying Congress of the veto, Trump argued the bill “fails to include critical national security measures, includes provisions that fail to respect our veterans and our military’s history, and contradicts efforts by my Administration to put America first in our national security and foreign policy actions.”
The notice recapped objections Trump has previously raised, namely the bill’s requirement to rename Confederate-named military bases and lack of inclusion of a repeal of an unrelated tech law.
Congressional reaction: House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam SmithDavid (Adam) Adam SmithOvernight Defense: Trump vetoes defense bill, setting up override vote | Trump raises objections to government funding, COVID-19 relief package | Trump offers Iran ‘friendly health advice’ as tensions heat up Trump vetoes defense bill, setting up potential override Debt is not a sustainable policy decision MORE (D-Wash.) projected confidence Wednesday that Congress will ultimately override Trump.
“By choosing to veto the NDAA, President Trump has made it clear that does not care about the needs of our military personnel and their families,” Smith said in a statement. “The FY21 NDAA passed with overwhelming, veto-proof support in both the House and Senate, and I remain confident that Congress will override this harmful veto. While the president may not care about our service members and their families, Congress still places an immense value on their service and sacrifice.”
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim InhofeJames (Jim) Mountain InhofeTrump vetoes defense bill, setting up potential override Congress barrels toward veto clash with Trump Pompeo: Russia ‘pretty clearly’ behind massive cyberattack MORE (R-Okla.) urged his colleagues to make sure the bill becomes law, though his statement did not explicitly mention the veto and found time to praise Trump for “the remarkable gains our military has made” during his presidency.
“The NDAA has become law every year for 59 years straight because it’s absolutely vital to our national security and our troops. This year must not be an exception,” Inhofe said. “I hope all of my colleagues in Congress will join me in making sure our troops have the resources and equipment they need to defend this nation.”
Reminder: Congress passed the $740 billion NDAA earlier this month with more than the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto,
The bill passed the Senate in an 84-13 vote and the House in a 355-78 vote.
Still, the math could be scrambled in the override vote.
Some Republicans who voted to pass the NDAA, such as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthyKevin Owen McCarthyMcCarthy to offer UC request to revisit foreign spending in omnibus Overnight Defense: Trump vetoes defense bill, setting up override vote | Trump raises objections to government funding, COVID-19 relief package | Trump offers Iran ‘friendly health advice’ as tensions heat up Trump leaves Washington in limbo with relief threat MORE (R-Calif.), have said they would not support a veto override of the defense bill.
But some Democrats who voted against the NDAA have said they would switch their votes to overcome Trump’s veto.
What now: Congress must override the veto before noon on Jan. 3, when the 117th Congress will be sworn in. If Congress fails to override the veto by then, lawmakers would need to start from scratch on the bill.
The House plans to hold its veto override vote Monday in a rare post-Christmas session.
If the House successfully overrides Trump, the Senate is planning to come back the following day.
But it could still be days after that before the upper chamber holds a final override vote if senators who support Trump’s veto drag out procedural hurdles. Senators have suggested the override vote could happen the morning of Jan. 3, just before the new Congress is sworn in.
THE OTHER (POTENTIAL) VETO SHOWDOWN: Trump has also now thrown a wrench into the government funding and coronavirus relief package that already passed Congress, though he did not explicitly threaten to veto it.
The drama started Tuesday night when he posted a video on his Twitter account railing against the foreign aid in the funding bill — which he conflated with the coronavirus relief bill — and demanded that Congress up the amount of direct payments to Americans in the COVID-19 bill from $600 to $2,000.
Trump’s objections left Washington in limbo and raised the prospect of a government shutdown in his final days in office.
Possible scenarios: Congress would have limited options and time should Trump veto the package.
The most plausible move may be for Congress to pass a weeks-long continuing resolution to fund the government through the beginning of January.
Lawmakers could also vote to override the veto, which would set up a clash between Republicans and Trump. Yet it is unclear whether Trump will veto the measure, complicating that route. Trump has yet to formally receive the legislation, which is being enrolled.
It’s also possible that Trump could “pocket veto” the legislation if he does not sign it and the 116th Congress ends during the 10-day period after Trump receives the bill.
Democrats call bluff: The first bit of drama will come Thursday, with Democrats seeking unanimous consent in the House to increase the amount of direct payments to Americans with annual incomes below $75,000 to $2,000 as Trump demanded.
Democrats support the bigger checks but a number of Republicans do not, and the move by Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiMcCarthy to offer UC request to revisit foreign spending in omnibus Overnight Defense: Trump vetoes defense bill, setting up override vote | Trump raises objections to government funding, COVID-19 relief package | Trump offers Iran ‘friendly health advice’ as tensions heat up Trump leaves Washington in limbo with relief threat MORE (D-Calif.) is intended to put GOP lawmakers on the spot.
Pelosi said in a letter Wednesday to Democratic lawmakers that during the negotiations over the relief package, Republicans wouldn’t go above $600 for direct payments and were silent when asked how high Trump would go. She urged Trump to press House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to accept Democrats’ request to approve $2,000 payments by unanimous consent.
“If the President truly wants to join us in $2,000 payments, he should call upon Leader McCarthy to agree to our Unanimous Consent request,” Pelosi wrote.
McCarthy told GOP House members during a call Wednesday afternoon that he’s willing to object to the request and may offer his own request on spending cuts.
TRUMP WARNS IRAN: 2020 is ending as it began: with increasing tensions with Iran.
Trump on Wednesday added to the growing tension between the United States and Iran following a rocket attack on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad early this week, warning against any additional strikes.
“Our embassy in Baghdad got hit Sunday by several rockets. Three rockets failed to launch. Guess where they were from: IRAN. Now we hear chatter of additional attacks against Americans in Iraq,” Trump tweeted.
“Some friendly health advice to Iran: If one American is killed, I will hold Iran responsible. Think it over,” he added.
Context: The Sunday rocket attack, which included 21 missiles that killed at least one Iraqi civilian and damaged the embassy compound, was the largest such strike on the Iraqi capital’s Green Zone in a decade.
It was initially reported that Iran-backed militias fired eight rockets into the International Zone in Baghdad that houses the U.S. Embassy around 8:30 p.m. local time. The facility’s missile defense system was activated to deflect the attack.
But an after-action review by U.S. Central Command (Centcom) found that the attack included far more missiles, with roughly half of the 21 weapons landing inside the U.S. Embassy compound, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Centcom head Gen. Frank McKenzie said it was unknown if the attack, which included missiles believed to have been supplied by Iran, was planned by Tehran or an Iran-linked force. No group has yet claimed responsibility.
“I do not know the degree to which Iran is complicit,” McKenzie told the Journal on Tuesday. “We do not seek a war, and I don’t actually believe they seek one either.”
A statement from Centcom spokesman Cmdr. Bill Urban after Trump’s tweet said the attack was “almost certainly conducted by an Iranian-backed Rogue Militia Group,” adding that while there were no U.S. casualties, the attack “was clearly NOT intended to avoid casualties.”
ICYMI
— The Hill: Trump administration advances bomb sale to Saudis
— The Hill: Top Democrat: ‘Critical’ that Pompeo brief senators on SolarWinds hack at State Dept.
— The Hill: Trump pardons individuals charged in Russia probe, ex-GOP lawmakers
— Washington Post: Show of force on U.S. streets and crisis at Fort Hood tested Army secretary this year
— CNN: Tensions intensify between Biden and Pentagon over stalled transition briefings
— McClatchy: The military designed aircraft with only men in mind. Now they are working to change that