Dec. 23 (UPI) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday vetoed a $740 billion defense spending bill that both the House and Senate passed earlier this month with veto-proof majorities.
The decision means both chambers of Congress must return to vote on whether to override the veto. It’s unclear if Republicans will vote to defy the outgoing president.
Trump threatened last week to veto the National Defense Authorization Act if it didn’t include a repeal of Section 230 of the Communication Decency Act, which protects tech giants such as Facebook and Twitter from legal liability for content posted on their platforms.
Trump has complained that the provision poses a threat to national security and argued that it protects Twitter for placing warning labels on his tweets.
The veto message also criticizes the NDAA for including “provisions that fail to respect our veterans and our military’s history,” by renaming military installations that honor Confederate leaders.
The bill also includes a 3% pay raise for troops, modernizes equipment, and requires further review before withdrawing troops from Germany or Afghanistan.
