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President Trump raised hackles in Congress last week with his veto of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The Pentagon’s bloated budget is a $740 billion, 4500-page monstrosity that siphons vast amounts of the public’s scarce resources into what former Republican President Dwight Eisenhower called “the military industrial complex.” Trump’s grievances that prompted the veto include Congress’ refusal to overturn a law commonly referred to as Section 230, heralded by groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Free Press as a bedrock protector of free speech on the Internet. Trump is also against the military renaming bases currently named after Confederate officers. A Congressional veto override of Trump’s petulance and racism, however, is only a victory for the warmakers.
The political fight over the war budget is happening amidst the surging COVID-19 pandemic, as hospitals consider rationing oxygen, daily death tolls shatter world records, and as Trump’s bungled “warp speed” vaccine rollout falls far short of his promises. Trump himself compounded the nation’s pain by temporarily refusing to sign the already disastrously delayed COVID-19 relief bill last week. He delighted Democrats by decrying the paltry $600 relief check the bill specified for working class Americans and demanding a $2,000 relief payment instead. His threats, made as he golfed in Florida, proved idle, as he ultimately signed the bill without any changes. His antics did manage to inte r rupt state-run unemployment programs, delaying payments to millions of those who are most in need.
As thousands of Americans die each day of COVID-19, Trump continues his crusade to overturn the election, raising hundreds of millions...Read More→
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