The Senate voted on Thursday to approve an annual defense bill defying a veto threat from President Obama. The Senate voted 70-27 in favor of the $612 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a broad bill that would set the spending and policy priorities for the Pentagon.
Twenty Senate Democrats and Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) voted for the bill. Today's vote would be enough to override a veto however, Democratic leaders have warned that some of their members would vote differently if they were voting to override the president.
"The president is going to veto this. Everyone knows this," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) said before the vote. "The House, if they are called upon first to sustain the veto, they will do it. If we're called upon first to sustain the veto, we'll do it."
Republican senators Ted Cruz (Texas) and Rand Paul (Kentucky) were the only Republicans to vote against the bill. Sens. Lindsey Graham and Marco Rubio did not vote.
The bill has been drawn into the larger battle over the GOP's budget plan, which would appropriate $38 billion to the Pentagon through a war fund account. Democrats and the White House say a spending account should not be used to bypass budget caps and have urged Republicans to raise spending across the federal government.
Republicans, and some Democrats, have questioned why President Obama has threatened to veto the bill which only authorizes the funds and does not appropriate the money.
"You know, I started to have conversation with the White House when we were taking this up in committee, telling them their veto threat was a mistake," said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) who voted in favor of the bill.
"To basically say you'll veto over the [war fund] issue, when we have language in the bill that basically says we should fix the budget caps, I said, 'I think you're drawing the line in the battle at the wrong place."
The NDAA has been passed by Congress consecutively for 53 years and is seen as one of the most important legislative tasks for Congress.
"If the president vetos the NDAA, at this time of mounting global threats, he'll be prioritizing politics and process over the security of our nation and the well-being of our armed forces," Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) said.
The president has threatened to veto the NDAA six times before, primarily due to objections on the transfer of prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay prison facility, by has not followed through. However, the White House said this time will be different due to the use of the war fund.
Twenty Senate Democrats and Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) voted for the bill. Today's vote would be enough to override a veto however, Democratic leaders have warned that some of their members would vote differently if they were voting to override the president.
"The president is going to veto this. Everyone knows this," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) said before the vote. "The House, if they are called upon first to sustain the veto, they will do it. If we're called upon first to sustain the veto, we'll do it."
Republican senators Ted Cruz (Texas) and Rand Paul (Kentucky) were the only Republicans to vote against the bill. Sens. Lindsey Graham and Marco Rubio did not vote.
The bill has been drawn into the larger battle over the GOP's budget plan, which would appropriate $38 billion to the Pentagon through a war fund account. Democrats and the White House say a spending account should not be used to bypass budget caps and have urged Republicans to raise spending across the federal government.
Republicans, and some Democrats, have questioned why President Obama has threatened to veto the bill which only authorizes the funds and does not appropriate the money.
"You know, I started to have conversation with the White House when we were taking this up in committee, telling them their veto threat was a mistake," said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) who voted in favor of the bill.
"To basically say you'll veto over the [war fund] issue, when we have language in the bill that basically says we should fix the budget caps, I said, 'I think you're drawing the line in the battle at the wrong place."
The NDAA has been passed by Congress consecutively for 53 years and is seen as one of the most important legislative tasks for Congress.
"If the president vetos the NDAA, at this time of mounting global threats, he'll be prioritizing politics and process over the security of our nation and the well-being of our armed forces," Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) said.
The president has threatened to veto the NDAA six times before, primarily due to objections on the transfer of prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay prison facility, by has not followed through. However, the White House said this time will be different due to the use of the war fund.