House hands Trump first veto override on critical defense measure
The House voted to override President Trump’s veto of a $740 billion defense spending and policy bill that he hoped would include language stripping Big Tech lawsuit liability protections.
The veto override now heads to the Senate, where Trump likely faces a similar defeat as early as Tuesday. It would be the first time in his presidency Trump has lost a veto fight.
The House voted move the National Defense Authorization Act into law over Trump’s objections after passing it with overwhelming support earlier this month.
Trump objects to the NDAA for several reasons, but mainly because it excludes language he is seeking to punish social media giants for perceived biases against him and other conservatives. Trump wanted lawmakers to include a provision in the bill stripping out a lawsuit shield Big Tech has enjoyed for more than two decades. Trump also objected to a provision in the bill calling for the renaming of military installations now named after Confederate officers and he opposed language in the bill limiting his authority to draw down troops overseas.
Both chambers passed the NDAA in December with veto-proof majorities, although some GOP House members plan to uphold Trump’s veto, including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, of California, and the 40 members of the House Freedom Caucus.
The defense policy bill has passed Congress uninterrupted for nearly 60 years and is considered critical for military planning and national security. The current measure is particularly important in the wake of recent Russian cyber attacks on critical government operations, lawmakers said. The NDAA includes new funding for cybersecurity and restaffing of a cyber “czar” position.
The House voted to override the president after passing a measure that endorsed Trump’s request that the federal government increase a new round of stimulus checks from $600 per individual to $2,000.
Trump made the request Sunday night after signing into law a $900 billion Covid relief measure that is bundled with a $1.4 trillion government funding bill. Trump sent Congress a message requesting the stimulus check increase and also called on Congress to rescind some of the fiscal 2021 measure that provided billions to foreign governments.