US Senate majority passes defence bill despite Donald Trump’s veto threat
- Trump is threatening to wield his veto power primarily over a demand that Congress repeal legal protections for technology companies
- Despite Trump’s frequent veto threats through Twitter, lawmakers have largely brushed aside the president approving the legislation
The US Senate on Friday overwhelmingly passed an annual defence spending bill, setting up a showdown with President Donald Trump who has threatened to veto the legislation.
The mammoth US$740 billion bill passed in a 84-to-13 vote, which is far greater than the two-thirds majority needed to override a presidential veto.
Earlier this week, the lower chamber House of Representatives also passed the bill with an overwhelming majority, meaning that if Trump does follow through with his veto threat, lawmakers will probably have a rare super-majority to overcome a presidential veto.
It would be the first veto override of Trump’s presidency.
Trump is threatening to wield his veto power primarily over a demand that Congress repeal legal protections for technology companies, as the president is locked in a fight with social media giants over alleged bias against conservatives.
He is also upset about a provision in the bill that would remove Confederate names from military bases and restrict troop withdrawals in Germany and Afghanistan.