House passes Keystone XL Pipeline bill; now goes to President Obama, who has said he will veto it

The first veto showdown between President Obama and the Republican-led Congress will center on the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline, Sean Sullivan reports for The Washington Post. The House passed the Keystone bill Wednesday by a vote of 270 to 152. The bill cleared the Senate last month by a 62 to 36 margin. Obama has said from the start that if the bill passes, he will veto it. Congress lacks the necessary two-thirds majority to override a veto.

"Republicans have touted the bill as a job creator, while many Democrats have warned of adverse effects construction of the pipeline—which would run from Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast—would have on the environment," Sullivan writes. Only one House Republican voted against the pipeline, while 29 Democrats voted in favor of the bill. (Read more)