On the recordOctober 23, 2015
As Commander in Chief, the President of the United States is tasked with upholding the safety and security of our Nation; but, yesterday, President Obama vetoed the annual defense bill that ensures the right policies are in place to protect us. The National Defense Authorization Act is actually one of the few pieces of legislation up here that regularly gets voted out of the House and Senate, regardless of who controls the Chamber. This year, the NDAA passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 270-156, and it passed the Senate 70-27. It is one of the few things that gets done like it is supposed to. In fact, the NDAA has been enacted into law every year since its inception in 1961. President Obama vetoed this bill not because he disagreed with its substance, but because he wanted to use it as a bargaining chip to force Congress to increase its spending for his non-defense programs. Mr. Speaker, the Taliban is reentering Afghanistan. Islamic extremists are attempting to conquer Iraq. The U.S. is at odds with Russia over Syria's civil war; and China is expanding beyond its territorial claims in the Pacific. Frankly, the world is in chaos. While he only has one more year in office, there could not be a worse time for President Obama to so selfishly--no--so recklessly--push his agenda at the cost of U.S. national security. In God we trust. ____________________
