On Friday, the Senate voted with a great majority to override President Donald Trump's veto of the sweeping defense bill, with a considerable number of Republicans joining Democrats to rebuke the president. This is the first veto override of his presidency in the last few days of his term.
Trump's veto led Republicans to decide whether to go against the president and support the legislation that sets America's defense policy. This legislation initially passed both the Senate and the House with veto-proof majorities, but the House voted on Monday to overturn the veto. The final vote was 81-13, which is considerably above the two-thirds majority needed.
Taking to his Twitter account in Dec. 2020, Trump repeatedly warned that he would veto the defense bill, claiming his action will make China unhappy. Aside from that, he insisted on the termination of Section 230, removing the US military from far away and unappreciative lands, and protecting national monuments.
Referencing the first veto override of his presidency in a tweet, Trump said the Republican Senate missed the opportunity to eliminate Section 230, which gives a lot of power to big tech companies. The bill also includes provisions to restrict the amount of money Trump can use for his border wall and require the military to rename bases currently named after figures from the Confederacy.
Trump has a reputation for opposing any U.S. military effort to rename the major bases and installations named after Confederate military commanders. Trump raised that issue in his veto message, aside from complaining about Section 230. It is worth mentioning here that seven Republicans voted to sustain the veto, according to The New York Times.
A tie in the Senate over the stimulus checks led to a long timeline for the final override vote after Vermont's independent Senator Bernie Sanders indicated Monday that he would postpone a quick vote unless Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell brings a vote on $2,000 stimulus checks to the floor. The vote did not come to fruition, and the Senate voted Friday to put an end to the debate on the veto override.
Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine issued a statement noting that the NDAA has offered necessary support for American troops and national security for more than 60 years in a row. Kaine went on to note that the vote showed that Congress would not let the president block that supports.