House unable to override Trump veto

Failed attempt over border wall delivers a second presidential victory in two days

US President Donald Trump's first veto withstood an override attempt by the House of Representatives on Tuesday, leaving intact his national emergency declaration for plans to build a wall on the Mexican border.

The failed override attempt delivered Trump his second victory in two days, coming after Sunday's release of a summary of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation that found Trump and his campaign did not collude with the Russian government during the 2016 presidential campaign.

"Even though the two issues clearly aren't related, it increases the president's strength and popularity and puts him in a stronger position," Republican Representative Tom Cole of Oklahoma said before the vote.

The House of Representatives, which is controlled by the Democrats, was unable to garner enough Republican support to reach the two-thirds majority necessary to override the veto.

Fourteen Republicans joined 234 Democrats in voting to override. With the 248-181 result, Trump is likely to continue searching federal accounts for money to redirect to the wall, his signature campaign issue.

Another contentious political issue in Washington has re-emerged, as a reinvigorated Trump has vowed to replace the Affordable Care Act - also known as Obamacare, a signature accomplishment of former president Barack Obama's administration - with a Republican plan.

The Justice Department announced on Monday that it was siding with a US District Court ruling in Texas in December that found the mandate requiring health insurance was unconstitutional. The mandate required individuals to have coverage or pay a fee if they decided to opt out. The Trump administration has removed the penalty, effective 2019.

After Tuesday's House vote on Trump's veto, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Congress would work through the appropriations process to "terminate this dangerous action" by the president.

She also said that Trump's emergency declaration could be reviewed again in six months.

Also, the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday denied the Pentagon's plan to shift $1 billion to build the wall.

"The committee denies this request. The committee does not approve the proposed use of Department of Defense funds to construct additional physical barriers and roads or install lighting in the vicinity of the United States border," Democratic Representative Adam Smith of Washington state said in a letter to the Defense Department.

Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan announced on Monday that the Department of Defense had shifted $1 billion from other military construction projects to build part of the southern border barrier.

The Pentagon maintains that it has the authority to move the money.

Bipartisan dispute

Trump declared the national emergency on Feb 15 in an effort to bypass Congress and move taxpayer funds for the wall away from other uses.

Bipartisan majorities of both the House and Senate rejected his move, voting to end the emergency. The president vetoed their resolution on March 15.

For two years, Congress has refused to meet Trump's demands for funding the wall that he promised in his 2016 campaign, although it appropriated some funds for border fencing and other barriers.

Trump has made addressing illegal immigration a key facet of his presidency.

On the Mueller probe, Democrats pushed for the Justice Department to release the full special counsel report by April 2. Attorney General William Barr so far has released a four-page letter summarizing Mueller's report, which documents a 22-month investigation.

Reuters contributed to this story.

williamhennelly@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily 03/28/2019 page12)