White House press secretary Josh Earnest confirmed today that President Obama will veto the Keystone XL pipeline extension bill that is already being rushed through Congress on the first day of the new session.
“If this bill passes this Congress the president won’t sign it,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said. […]
Earnest said there is a “well-established” State Department review underway and that legislation would undermine that process. Earnest cited the ongoing litigation in Nebraska as the primary reason that Obama would not sign Keystone legislation.
When Mitch McConnell said the pipeline extension would be his first priority, he wasn’t exaggerating.
McConnell took steps today to bypass committee approval and head straight for a vote.
Democrats accused Republicans of trying to rush the measure to the floor after new Senate Majority Leader McConnell moved to bypass the energy committee that has jurisdiction over the issue. A Senate hearing on Keystone that was to be held on Wednesday on the issue was canceled.
The energy committee is controlled by Republicans now, meaning McConnell is throwing his own members under the bus on the way toward a veto.