Senate Easily Passes U.S. Defense Bill Despite Trump Veto Threat
- Trump wanted unrelated social-media initiative added to bill
- Votes in House and Senate would be sufficient to override veto
This article is for subscribers only.
The Republican-led Senate overwhelmingly passed a crucial $740.5 billion U.S. defense policy bill, rebuffing a veto threat by President Donald Trump, who demanded that it include an unrelated provision to strip protections from social-media companies.
The Friday vote was 84-13, which would be more than enough to override a Trump veto.
The House this week passed the measure by a vote of 335-78, indicating that threats from Trump didn’t deter broad support for the crucial annual bill, and the president could face the first veto override of his tenure. It now heads to the president’s desk.