Obama Defies Congress, Vetoes Keystone Pipeline

Defying Republican lawmakers, President Barack Obama has vetoed the Keystone XL oil pipeline bill. It's the president's first veto since the GOP took control on Capitol Hill.

"The presidential power to veto legislation is one I take seriously. But I also take seriously my responsibility to the American people," Obama said in a brief notice delivered to the Senate.

"And because this act of Congress conflicts with established executive branch procedures and cuts short thorough consideration of issues that could bear on our national interest — including our security, safety, and environment — it has earned my veto," he added.

Republicans, meanwhile, are accusing the president of playing politics.

"By choosing to veto, he's choosing Washington lobbyists and special interest over needs and desires of the American people," Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said.

The nearly 1,200-hundred mile long pipeline would run from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and has been stalled for more than six years.

Supporters say it would boost U.S. energy independence along with the economy.

"Pipeline is a lifeline for America's construction workers," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said.

Opponents call the pipeline the poster child for dirty energy and say it would exacerbate global warming.

Boehner said Obama's veto is a "national embarrassment," and Republicans are vowing to fight to override it.

Some Senate Democrats say they'll vote for an override, too -- a clear rebuke of the president.

"The president is sadly mistaken if he thinks vetoing this bill will end this fight. Far from it. We are just getting started," Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell warned in a USA Today op-ed.

But an override will fail unless Republicans and Democrats who support the pipeline can recruit four more senators to their cause.