Jan. 1 (UPI) — The U.S. Senate, in a special session New Year’s Day, voted to override President Donald Trump‘s veto of the $740 billion National Defense Authorization Act 81 to 13, exceeding the required two-thirds majority.
The Senate vote, along with a 322-to-87 vote Monday in the U.S. House of Representatives, is the first time during Trump’s tenure that the U.S. Congress has overturned one of his vetoes
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Trump successfully vetoed eight other bills passed by both houses of Congress during his four years in office.
The bill will now become law.
On Dec. 23, Trump rejected the new legislation, which would fund the U.S. military going forward. Trump objected to provisions that would rename military installations after Confederate generals over three years.
Trump also wanted a repeal of Section 230 of the Communication Decency Act, which protects social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter from legal liability for content posted on their platforms.
The military legislation, usually passed yearly without fanfare, includes a 3% salary increase for U.S. military personnel.
“People are talking about how Democrats and Republicans can’t do things together, but this is an example of what can happen when they work together,” Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., said.
