Congress overrides Trump’s veto for the first time on major
military bill
After voting Friday afternoon, the Senate adjourned, effectively
killing any hope of passing an increase to distribute $2,000
stimulus checks.
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Friday joined the House to override
President Donald Trump’s veto of a sweeping military policy bill,
delivering the first such blow to Trump just weeks before he leaves
office.
The Senate then adjourned later in the day Friday, effectively
killing the effort to increase stimulus check payments to $2,000, a
demand Trump had made after signing a coronavirus relief bill that
included $600 payments.
The Senate voted 81 to 13 to approve the $741 billion National
Defense Authorization Act, achieving the two-thirds majority
required to defeat the veto. The House overrode the veto on Monday
by a vote of 322-87. As a result, the legislation will become
law.
Trump vetoed the measure on Dec. 23 after lawmakers refused to
include his request to add a provision repealing an internet
liability law known as Section 230 that protects social media
companies. The previous eight vetoes issued by Trump had been
allowed to stand.
Among the lawmakers who voted against the override were
Republicans Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Rand
Paul of Kentucky and Josh Hawley of Missouri and Democrats
Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Ron Wyden of
Oregon. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was a no vote as
well.
Kamala Harris, the vice president-elect and Democratic senator
from California, voted in favor of the override.
Republicans Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, who’d
dodged questions about how they’d vote on the issue, were not
present. Perdue is quarantining after a member of his campaign team
tested positive for the coronavirus and Loeffler was campaigning in
Georgia ahead of next week’s runoff election, which will determine
party control of the Senate.
Sen. Doug Jones, a Democrat from Alabama who’s being considered
as Joe Biden’s nominee for Attorney General, also missed the vote.
He’s been quarantining since his wife tested positive for the
coronavirus earlier this week.
Trump criticized “Our Republican Senate” on Twitter after the
vote, calling their refusal to add a Section 230 provision
“Pathetic!!!”
The vote came after attempts by Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.,
Sanders and Hawley to force a vote on Trump’s call for $2,000
checks to Americans were rejected. Trump called Republicans’
failure to approve the checks, “Not fair, or smart!”
The NDAA is typically a bipartisan exercise that passes
Congress with little drama. This year was different due to Trump’s
demand, which leaders of his party dismissed as irrelevant to a
bill that structures the Pentagon. Both chambers originally passed
the legislation with sweeping bipartisan support.
The process of overriding the veto took days in the Senate after
Sanders led an objection to a speedy vote unless Senate Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., would allow a vote on the CASH Act
to raise stimulus payments to $2,000.
McConnell refused, choosing to wait him out instead.