Washington – The House plans to convene Monday to vote to replace President Trump’s veto of an annual defense policy bill that could, for the first time, prompt Congress to pass a veto of Mr. Trump dominates just weeks before leaving office.
The bill, the National Defense Authorization Act, passed the House as well as the Senate earlier this month with the support of more than two-thirds of each chamber, clearing the thresholds needed to set aside Trump’s veto. The Senate is scheduled to meet Tuesday to address the issue.
The $ 740 billion defense bill provides funding for military programs and construction projects, and authorizes a 3% increase for troops. But in the weeks that it went through, Mr. Trump objected to the measure because it was a federal law known as Section 230, which provides a powerful legal shield for Internet companies. The president also embarked on a provision of the bill requiring the Pentagon to rename military facilities and bases named after the Confederate leaders.
Legislators on both sides of the aisle called dr. Trump is asking for the comprehensive defense bill, which has been in place for 59 years, to be signed. But the president cited his threat to veto the measure last week, citing Congress’s “failure to end the very dangerous national security risk of Article 230.”
Section 230 is a provision of the Communications Decency Act that protects Internet companies from liability for content posted on their platforms by third parties. The measure has become a political football, as Republicans and Mr. Trump believes it has been used by social media companies to censor conservative views and voices.
While IDP lawmakers agree with the president that section 230 should be amended, some argue that the NDAA is not the right vehicle to repeal the 24-year-old law.
“The NDAA has become law every year for 59 years because it is absolutely essential to our national security and our troops. This year may not be an exception,” said Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, the Senate’s chairman. committee for armed services, said in a statement following the president’s veto on the defense bill. Inhofe added that Congress “can and must use another legislative vehicle to repeal Article 230.” ‘
It remains unclear how many Republicans in the House with Mr. Trump will break and will vote to overcome his veto. The House Freedom Caucus, a group of conservatives, has pledged to support the president’s rejection of the defense bill, and Kevin McCarthy, leader of the House minority council, told reporters earlier this month he would veto Mr. Trump endorsed despite voting in favor of the legislation.