House overrides Trump's defense bill veto

By Tony Bertuca / December 28, 2020 at 6:49 PM

The House today voted to override President Trump's veto of the defense authorization bill, sending the matter to the Senate, where another override vote is expected Tuesday.

The bill has strong bipartisan support in the Senate and override is expected to be successful.

Trump last week vetoed the 4,500-page bill, which, among numerous other things, authorizes $740.5 billion in defense spending.

In a statement to Congress, Trump said he vetoed the bill because it includes a provision to rename U.S. military bases that honor Confederate leaders and does not repeal Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act used to limit liability of social media companies. Trump also cited provisions in the bill that he said would restrict his ability to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, Germany and South Korea.

Trump's veto immediately drew bipartisan opposition, especially since the bill has been signed into law for 59 consecutive years and passed the House and Senate by wide margins.

Meanwhile, Trump signed a massive end-of-year spending deal yesterday that will fund the federal government for fiscal year 2021 and provide $900 billion in COVID-19 relief. The president's support for the bill was in doubt, however, as he spent several days complaining about the deal before signing it into law.

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