Ever since the GOP secured a majority in the
U.S. Senate in the November 4, 2014 General Election, to match the advantage
they already enjoyed in the U.S. House of Representatives, Republicans have
made it clear they would pass a bill approving construction of the Keystone XL
Pipeline. Yesterday, they made the
promise a fait accompli. With a resolve
to match the GOP’s relentless push, President Obama made it equally clear he
would veto such a bill. To that end, he
kept his end of the bargain yesterday.
The Houses of Congress spent a significant
portion of the first two months of the year prepping for was a near certain
outcome yesterday. The Senate, by a roll
call vote of 62-36, moved to approve its bill Thursday, January 29, 2015. In summary, 53 Republicans and 9 Democrats
voted for the bill. Voting in opposition
were 34 Democrats and 2 Independents. No
Republicans voted against the measure.
On Wednesday, February 11, 2015, the House took
up the Senate bill and approved the measure by a vote of 270 to 152. The bill garnered the support of 29
Democrats. One GOP Representative,
Justin Amash, of Michigan, voted against the bill. That action of the House completed the
preliminary steps of preparing the bill for the President’s review.
The process came full circle, apparently
quickly. Congress sent the measure to
President Obama yesterday. He returned
to sender, using his Veto authority for the first time in five years, and only
the third time during his Presidency.
Counting yesterday’s veto, you have to go back
134 years, to James A. Garfield, the 20th President, to find a
President with fewer vetoes than President Obama. He had no vetoes, but served just over six
months in office, as his Presidency lasted only 199 days, from March 4, 1881 to
September 19, 1881. Charles J. Guiteau
shot him July 2, 1881. Garfield died two
and a half months later. Only William
Henry Harrison served less time as an American President. Harrison, who died of pneumonia, served only
32 days. Not surprisingly, he was also
among the seven Presidents who never used the veto. Zachary Taylor, the twelfth President also
died prematurely, after only a year and a half in office, without ever using
the veto. Millard Fillmore, the
thirteenth President, served Zachary Taylor’s unexpired term, and never used
the veto.
To provide a little veto context, seven
Presidents, the second, John Adams, third Thomas Jefferson, fifth James Monroe,
ninth William Henry Harrison, twelfth Zachary Taylor, thirteenth Millard
Fillmore, and the twentieth James Garfield never used the veto. Of those, Harrison, Taylor, and Garfield died
after short terms in office, and Fillmore completed Taylor’s term. Of the remaining thirty-six Presidents other
than Mr. Obama, only George Washington, the first President (2), James Monroe,
the fifth President (1), and Martin Van Buren, the eighth President (1), used
the veto less than President Obama has to date.
The eleventh President, James K. Polk also used his veto pen three times.
This however, may be just the beginning of
President Obama’s veto use. He has
already signaled his unwillingness to simply accept proposed GOP legislation to
roll back the Affordable Care Act, as well as bills reversing the executive
action he has taken on immigration.
Early indications are GOP legislators will be
unable to reverse the President’s veto.
The threshold for overriding a President’s veto is a two-thirds vote in
each chamber of Congress. Senate
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has already announced the veto override vote
occur no later than next Tuesday.
Pipeline advocates, including Republican
leadership in Congress argue the Keystone would create jobs; opponents
meanwhile contend the potential environmental risks are not worth it. For its part, the Whitehouse says they oppose
the measure because it usurps the President’s authority to approve or deny the
pipeline. The project has been under
administrative review for a number of years.
Josh Earnest, White House Press Secretary notes
that it is still conceivable President Obama may approve the pipeline at the
completion of State Department review.
In the interim, the President has downplayed the economic benefits of
the pipeline. He underscored that point
in the State of the Union Address, when he said: "Let's set our sights higher than a single oil
pipeline,"
For their
part, Republican Legislators said yesterday the expected veto sets a sour tone
for further cooperation. House Speaker
John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wrote in a USA Today
op-ed, “This White House refuses to listen and look for common ground. It’s the same kind of top-down, tone deaf
leadership we’ve come to expect and we were elected to stop.”
In other
words, it appears, the long winter of our political discontent continues. What we know for sure is, when it comes to
the Keystone XL Pipeline, “He Said He Would…And He Did!”
I’m done; holla back!
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Consult
the links below for more detailed
information on a variety of aspects relating to this post:
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/congress-sends-obama-bill-approve-keystone-pipeline-n304676
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/congress-sends-obama-bill-approve-keystone-pipeline-n304676
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