President Barack Obama is poised to veto his first bill of the Republican-controlled Congress this week, as the House plans to take up the Senate-passed bill to force construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.
So far, Obama has vetoed a mere two bills, the lowest of any president since James Garfield in 1881, who held the office for just six months. One was a mundane veto of a duplicative spending bill; the other involved the notarization of mortgages.
A House vote on the Keystone bill is currently expected Wednesday. If it passes, it will go straight to Obama’s desk.
The White House has said Obama would veto the bill, complaining that it conflicts with executive branch procedures for considering whether such projects are in the national interest.
The veto, should it materialize, may be a sign of things to come. For the first time, Obama faces a Congress in which Republicans control both chambers. But Senate Democrats, who blocked votes on dozens of House-passed bills while they ran the chamber, may still protect Obama to an extent. They have demonstrated a willingness to mount aggressive filibusters, and Republicans need at least six Democrats to pass controversial bills.