The House voted 322-87 on Monday night to override President Trump’s veto of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act.
The Senate and House each passed the $740 billion defense policy bill with veto proof majorities earlier this month. Then Trump vetoed it on December 23, after threatening to do so for months. He opposed a provision that requires the Pentagon to rename military bases named for Confederate leaders, and demanded the repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which is a liability shield for social media companies. He also said the bill was a “gift to China and Russia,” although he never specified what he meant by that.
“My administration has taken strong actions to help keep our nation safe and support our service members,” said Trump in a statement. “I will not approve this bill, which would put the interests of the Washington, D.C., establishment over those of the American people. It is my duty to return H.R. 6395 to the House of Representatives without my approval.”
The NDAA contains several provisions for federal employees, such as making technical corrections to the paid parental leave policy from last year’s bill and waiving the normal annual cap for unused leave from year to year. Tony Reardon, national president of the National Treasury Employees Union, urged Congress to override the veto, which he said was a “setback for federal employees.”
“During a pandemic and in the middle of the holidays, the commander-in-chief is defunding the military and denying our service members their duly-earned pay,” Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., chairman of the House Over ..
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