Trump had previously threatened to veto the defense law, known as the National Defense Authorization Act, because it does not repeal Section 230, a law that protects Internet companies from liability for what is posted by them or third parties on their websites. .
The bill includes provisions to limit how much money Trump can move for his border wall and another that would require the military to rename bases named after figures from the Confederacy.
“ Unfortunately, ” wrote the president in his veto to Congress, “ the law lacks critical national security measures, contains provisions that our veterans and our military history do not respect, and contradicts my government’s efforts to To put America first in our actions on national security and foreign policy. It is a ‘gift’ to China and Russia. “
Trump’s veto led to an immediate reprimand from GOP Senator Jim Inhofe, the chairman of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, who said the defense bill should become law.
The Oklahoma Republican went on to say that the defense bill “ confirms all the remarkable gains our military has made thanks to @realDonaldTrump’s leadership, ” adding, “ I hope all my colleagues in Congress will join me to ensure that our troops have the resources. and equipment they need to defend this nation. “
Democratic Senator Mark Warner, the deputy chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said Trump’s veto “poses a serious threat to US national security.”
“ I look forward to overturning the president’s fruitless and ridiculous attempt to undermine our national security because of his changing rationale for his right of veto, including a provision to rename bases in honor of the Southern military leaders – a provision that many in the president’s own party. , ”the Virginia Democrat said in a statement.
It’s unclear whether Republicans will defy the president again and vote to override his veto. However, multiple MPs, including the top Democrat and Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, previously said they would shorten their vacation so that Congress returns to Washington to override a veto if necessary.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized Trump’s veto as “an act of dizzying recklessness” in a statement on Wednesday, saying the House will take over the veto on Dec. 28.
The $ 740 billion bill also includes pay increases for US soldiers, upgrades of equipment and facilities that require more attention before troops are withdrawn from Germany or Afghanistan.
Trump mentioned Section 230 in his message, calling it a “very dangerous national security risk.”
He also followed the requirements for renaming military installations named after Confederate soldiers and slave owners.
“Over the course of United States history, these locations have taken on meaning to the American story, and those who helped write it far transcend their namesakes,” Trump said. “My government respects the legacy of the millions of American servicemen and women who have served with honor on these military bases, and who fought, bled and died for their country from these locations. We won two of these facilities. World Wars. have been clear in my opposition to politically motivated attempts like this to wash away history and dishonor the immense progress our country has fought for in realizing our founding principles, ” the message says.
The president also said the act “directly contradicts my administration’s foreign policy, especially my efforts to bring our troops home. I am against endless wars, as is the American public.”
While Trump’s previous veto threats drew a swift and sharp bipartisan from lawmakers who claimed he is leveraging the troops to settle personal scores, he has garnered vocal support from some allies.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, had backed the president in his attempt to remove Section 230.
“I support President @ realDonaldTrump’s insistence that Section 230 repeal is part of the defense bill bill,” he wrote in a thread of three tweeters. “Big Tech is the only industry in America that cannot be prosecuted for their business practices and that is not meaningfully regulated. This must end.”
The conservative House Freedom Caucus announced ahead of the House vote that its members will side with Trump in his opposition to the legislation and pressured other GOP members to side with Trump as well.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
Lauren Fox contributed to this story.