House Paves Way for Obama's First Major Veto

The House today followed the Senate's lead and sent a bill authorizing construction of the Keystone oil pipeline to the president's desk. President Obama, however, has promised to use his veto pen for just the third time in his tenure, though this will be his "first major" one, reports the Hill. About the only drama left is how confrontational Obama will be as he does so, given that the pipeline has plenty of Democratic support. The measure passed the House 270-152, with 29 Democrats in favor and just one Republican (Justin Amash of Michigan) in opposition, reports Politico.

Both the House and Senate lack the two-thirds support necessary for an override. All of which will leave the fate of the pipeline in the hands of the White House, which is waiting for an administrative review of the $8 billion project to be complete before announcing a decision on whether to move ahead. In passing the bill, the House backed changes made by the Senate, including a statement that climate change is real and not a hoax, reports AP. (More TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline stories.)