Unnecessary turmoil
The last few weeks of Donald Trump's presidency continue to break grounds. Just recently, Donald Trump vetoed a USD 740 billion military spending bill. It is worth noting that only was this his first veto but it was on the only issue that has always passed through Congress in an uninterrupted, bipartisan manner. In fact, despite decades of growing divide, both parties pride themselves on passing the National Defense Authorisation Act with huge majorities through Congress in an uninterrupted line since the first one was passed in 1961. Indeed, the fact that the defence bill has such unanimous support in Congress also means that the two-thirds majority required to overturn a Presidental veto will likely not be difficult to obtain. By attacking the bill and those who enthusiastically supported it as making a pro-China bill, Trump has come in close friction with his closest allies, a common pattern in the twilight days of the Trump era.
Trump has specifically targeted his objections at a provision to stagger out the abrupt pullout of US troops from the West Asia (Middle East) region. He was also strictly opposed to a provision for renaming army bases that currently have Confederate leader names, a sensitive topic in a year when the Black Lives Matter movement gained the most traction. Most peculiarly, he has also demanded a last-minute addition to the bill that would repeal existing protections for social media companies, an issue that is unrelated to national defence.
It must be mentioned that the US defence budget is not simply a spending bill to pay for the military. It is a spending bill that encompasses an evergrowing definition of what is national security in the 21st century. Thus, it is not uncommon for seemingly unrelated provisions to be a part of the bill. Trump has failed to communicate why the repeal of social media protections should be considered a national defence concern. On the way, he is holding up more serious legislation that would actually give America's digital security infrastructure a much-needed overhaul, a very real concern given the recent widespread alleged Russia hack of the US Government.
But in the background lies a provision that is even more necessary even as it groundbreaking. While it may have slipped under the radar, many news outlets still reported that NDAA 2021 had landmark anti-corruption provisions which also received robust bipartisan support. These provisions make a much-needed update to old US anti-money laundering laws that have gone unchanged for the last 20 years. Stamping out the menace of anonymous companies using the US to launder money for a whole host of criminal and terrorist groups is recognised by both parties as an absolutely essential change for US national security. The new laws would play nicely with incoming President Biden's pledge to bring transparency to the intricate global financial system. As a pillar of the US's return to the centre stage of world politics, such a provision would go a long way in building trust and respect. For now, the bill will serve as the first possible showdown between Trump and a Republican Party that may well be growing more comfortable in going against Donald Trump. A veto overturn brought about by a majority would set up the required circumstances for Congress to portray a united front in pushing through Trump's refusal to sign yet another vital bill into action.
As of now, the US Government seems to be heading for a holiday season government shutdown as Trump refuses to sign the USD 2.3 trillion spending bill into action. Containing provisions for a USD 892 billion Coronavirus relief fund, the bill was expected to keep millions of families financially afloat as it extends vital provisions like unemployment benefits. Coming at the very end of months of tense negotiations in Congress, Trump's objections — which range from complaints about too much money for foreign aid and special interest to the stimulus check being too small — threaten to derail the entire process. Beyond the very real human cost to holding up aid at a time when the US is seeing record Covid deaths and extremally high unemployment rate, this holdup also threatens to bog down US economic recovery in 2021 and beyond. A recent Centre for Economics and Business Research report has claimed that the difference in economic recovery pace will be the deciding point in China edging out the US as the largest economy by 2028. Trump's 'unpresidential' obstinacy in his final days, thus, will have far-reaching consequences for his party and his nation.
