WASHINGTON – Lawmakers in the US House of Representatives sent an unequivocal message to President Donald Trump yesterday when they overwhelmingly passed a defence spending bill that the commander-in-chief has threatened to veto, Anadolu Agency reported.
The 335-78 vote approving the gargantuan US$731 billion (RM2.97 trillion) bill ensures that the House has more than the two-thirds support needed to override a presidential veto. It is unclear if the Senate will also have a veto-proof majority when it is sent to the chamber.
Trump has vowed to veto the bill because it contains certain provisions he has voiced disapproval of, while it lacks others he has demanded. Nevertheless, several of his fellow Republicans broke ranks with him in voting for the bill.
Trump has lambasted a requirement that the Defence Department rename military installations that bear the name of Confederate generals. The confederacy was a separatist movement that fought against the US during the American Civil War, over the right to own slaves.
The bases, as well as monuments honouring Confederates, became a flashpoint of public protests following the police-involved killings of several black Americans, most recently the death of George Floyd in May.
Trump has also threatened to veto the bill if it does not include a provision repealing a statute known as “Section 230” that shields social media companies from legal action over content posted by their users.
Trump and his Republican allies have focused on Section 230 in their criticism of what they say are efforts by social media companies to censor conservative viewpoints.
In May, Trump issued an executive order aimed at limiting the legal protection offered by Section 230. The move came after Twitter flagged several of his tweets regarding mail-in voting as containing potentially misleading information.
Section 230 is one of the few remaining parts of the broader Communications Decency Act, which has largely been struck down by the Supreme Court over free speech concerns.
If the Senate follows the House in approving the defence bill by a large margin, it is unclear if Trump will issue a veto when the bill hits his desk. – Bernama, December 9, 2020
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