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On Friday, the Senate overturned President Trump’s veto on the National Defense Authorization Act, the $ 740 billion Defense Policy Bill. This veto, in the final days of Mr. Trump’s presidency, marked the first time Congress has voted to overthrow him.
The total vote was 81 to 13, with a two-thirds vote required to overturn the veto. The bill had already passed Senate 84-13 earlier this month, and the House has already voted to overturn Mr Trump’s veto.
Mr. Trump tweeted after the vote that Senate Republicans had “missed a great opportunity to get rid of Section 230,” one of the parts of the bill he opposed. Mr Trump wanted to repeal the social media accountability shield, but several members of Congress, including some Republicans, argued that the repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act was irrelevant to national security.
Mr Trump also vetoed the NDAA over a base renaming provision honoring Confederate officials.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tied a vote to repeal Section 230 to a bill that would increase direct payments to Americans from $ 600 to $ 2,000. McConnell has repeatedly expressed his opposition to the increase in direct payments, which is supported by Mr. Trump and some Republicans, and therefore linked it to a repeal of Section 230 knowing that the addition of an endorsement controversial would prevent its adoption.
Mr. Trump vetoed nine bills during his presidency, but none were overturned. If successful, this will be the first time that one of his vetoes will be canceled. The NDAA is a vital defense bill that has been passed every year for decades, so overturning the veto won’t necessarily be a controversial vote for Republicans.
Most Republicans in Congress are still in touch with the president, with some refusing to recognize President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Several House Republicans and at least one senator, GOP Senator Josh Hawley, are expected to challenge the election results when Congress meets to count the electoral college votes on January 6.
A few Republicans have criticized their colleagues for wanting to undermine the electoral process and challenge a duly elected president.
“Let’s be clear what’s going on here: we have a group of ambitious politicians who believe there is a quick way to tap into the president’s populist base without causing real long-term damage,” the Republican Senator wrote. Ben Sasse in a post on Facebook. Thursday. “But they are wrong – and this problem is more important than anyone’s personal ambitions. Adults do not point a loaded gun at the heart of legitimate self-reliance.”
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