- President Donald Trump may be facing his first congressional veto override in the final days of his presidency.
- An overwhelming majority of lawmakers from the Democratic-controlled House supported a defense bill in a 335-78 vote, which exceeds the two-thirds majority needed to slap down a potential veto from Trump.
- Numerous House Republicans have voiced support of overriding a Trump veto, including his staunchest allies who have urged the president to fund the military.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
President Donald Trump may be facing his first bipartisan congressional veto override in the final days of his time in the White House, in an apparent rebuke of his “America First” policy.
House lawmakers on Tuesday voted on the annual defense budget bill, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which Trump has threatened to veto. Around $740 billion in funding is earmarked in the legislation to fund the entire US military for the next fiscal year. The bill includes substantive changes in troop deployments, a 3% pay raise for troops, as well as renaming the military bases that still bear the names of Confederate leaders within the next three years.
An overwhelming majority of lawmakers from the Democratic-controlled House supported the bill in a 335-78 vote, which exceeds the two-thirds majority needed to slap down a potential veto from Trump. The Senate will take up the final bill later this week and is also widely expected to approve it.
The next session of Congress is on January 3, just 17 days before Trump is scheduled to leave office. Trump has 10 days to act on the final bill once it reaches his desk. For the last 59 years, the NDAA has passed before it was set to expire at the end of the year.
Trump had threatened to veto the bill in recent months, arguing in part that its provisions would dishonor the military. The president has long argued against renaming the military bases that honor Confederate leaders, as well as advocating for the repeal of legislation that protects tech companies from being liable for user content.
In addition to 10 US Army bases that are still named after Confederate leaders, other namesakes, including street names, would have to be changed under the new provision.
“Over the course of United States history, these locations have taken on significance to the American story and those who have helped write it that far transcends their namesakes,” the White House’s Office of Management and Budget said in a statement on Tuesday. “The Administration respects the legacy of the millions of American servicemen and women who have served with honor at these military bases, and who, from these locations, have fought, bled, and died for their country.”
Numerous House Republicans have voiced support of overriding a Trump veto, including his staunchest allies who have urged the president to sign the bill that will fund the military.
“We should override,” Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming said to reporters, referring to how lawmakers should respond if Trump chooses to veto the military funding bill.
Democratic Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee also said “we will come back to vote to override.”
“There’s no question about it,” Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said to Politico. “There’s no question about it. And so obviously, I would have to do what I could to override a veto.”
Meanwhile, some conservatives from the House Freedom Caucus, such as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, came out in support of Trump and said they would not support overriding a veto.
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