The Senate on Friday overruled President Trump’s veto over the National Defense Authorization Act, the $ 740 billion defense policy bill. This veto, in the closing days of Mr Trump’s presidency, marked the first time Congress has voted to override him.
The final vote was 81 to 13, with a two-thirds of the votes needed to overturn the veto. The bill was passed in Senate 84-13 earlier this month, and the House has already voted to override Mr Trump’s veto.
Mr. Trump tweeted after the vote that Senate Republicans “missed a great opportunity to get off Section 230,” one of the parts of the bill he had objected to. Trump wanted to revoke the social media liability shield, but several members of Congress, including some Republicans, argued that the repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act was irrelevant to national security.
Mr. Trump also vetoed the NDAA over a provision to rename bases in honor of Confederate officials.
Senate Leader Mitch McConnell has voted to repeal Section 230 of a bill that would increase direct payments to Americans from $ 600 to $ 2,000. McConnell has repeatedly opposed increasing direct payments, which is backed by Mr. Trump and some Republicans, thus linking it to a repeal of Section 230, knowing adding a controversial rider would prevent its passage. .
Mr. Trump vetoed nine bills during his presidency, but none have been lifted. If successful, this will be the first time that one of his vetoes has been overturned. The NDAA is a critical bill that has been passed every year for decades, so lifting the veto doesn’t necessarily have to be a controversial vote for Republicans.
Republicans in Congress are usually still in step with the president, with some refusing to acknowledge President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Several House Republicans and at least one Senator, GOP Senator Josh Hawley, are expected to challenge the results of the election when Congress meets on Jan. 6 to count the votes of the Electoral College.
A few Republicans have criticized their colleagues for being willing to undermine the electoral process and challenge a duly elected president.
“Let’s be clear what is happening here: we have a bunch of ambitious politicians who think there is a quick way to tap into the president’s populist base without causing any real, long-term damage,” Republican Senator Ben wrote. Sasse in a post on Facebook. on Thursday. But they are wrong – and this issue is bigger than anyone’s personal ambitions. Adults don’t point with a loaded gun at the heart of legitimate self-government. ‘