House Passes Defense Spending Bill with Veto-Proof Majority Despite Trump Opposition

The House passed a $741 billion defense spending bill with a veto-proof margin Tuesday evening in the face of a veto threat from President Trump.

The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, which lays out funding and policy priorities for the Defense Department, passed by an overwhelming 335-78 vote, considerably more than the two-thirds majority needed to overcome a presidential veto.

“Today, the House sent a strong, bipartisan message to the American people: Our service members and our national security are more important than politics,” said Democratic Representative Adam Smith, who chairs the House Armed Services Committee. “The House has proven we are capable of legislating and reaching compromise that results in good policy outcomes.”

Over the summer, Trump threatened to veto the bill if it required renaming military assets named for Confederate leaders, a provision included in this bill. More recently, however, the president said he would veto the defense spending bill if it did not repeal a legal shield for social media companies, an unrelated issue. The current bill does not scrap that legal shield, known as Section 230.

On Tuesday before the vote, Trump called on House Republicans to vote against the legislation and repeated his threat to veto the bill.

“Must include a termination of Section 230 (for National Security purposes), preserve our National Monuments, & allow for 5G & troop reductions in foreign lands!” he wrote.

The White House also issued a formal veto threat in a statement.

“Unfortunately, this conference report fails to include critical national security measures, includes provisions that fail to respect our veterans and our military’s history, and contradicts efforts by this Administration to put America first in our national security and foreign policy actions,” the White House said.

Republicans in both chambers have nevertheless indicated they intend to pass the bill over the president’s objections.

The bill will now be sent to the Senate, where it is expected to receive a vote on it this week and pass with a veto-proof majority there as well. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has voiced his support for the bill.

Photo: A Soldier at the U.S. Army Air Assault School conducts training at Fort Campbell, Ky., December 3, 2020. (Bryan Woolston/Reuters )

Link: https://www.nationalreview.com/news/house-passes-defense-spending-bill-with-veto-proof-majority-despite-trump-opposition/