Congress is barreling toward a veto showdown with President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump personally asked Pa. GOP House Speaker for help changing election results: reportWarren signals concerns about bipartisan coronavirus frameworkPompeos spent over K in taxpayer funds for State Dept dinnersMORE over the mammoth must-pass annual defense policy bill.
The House is scheduled to take up the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Tuesday, and the Senate is expected to follow shortly after.
Both chambers are expected to have strong bipartisan votes in favor, even as Trump has repeatedly threatened to veto the $740 billion measure.
Lawmakers are holding out hope Trump will back down if the bill passes with more than two-thirds support in each chamber, the amount needed to override a veto.
But if he follows through with his threat, its unclear how many Republicans would buck Trump and hand him the first veto override of his presidency.
Im hoping for a strong vote tomorrow. I think the stronger the vote, the less chance of having to deal with a veto later, Rep. Mac ThornberryWilliam (Mac) McClellan ThornberryOvernight Defense: Congress headed to veto showdown with Trump over defense bill | House to vote on stopgap spending bill | Biden to name Pentagon chief pick FridayWashington braces for clash over defense budgetOvernight Defense: Lawmakers release compromise defense bill in defiance of Trump veto threat | Senate voting next week on blocking UAE arms sale | Report faults lack of training, ‘chronic fatigue’ in military plane crashesMORE (Texas), the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, told reporters Monday, adding that he does not believe Trumps threat is empty.
But pressed on whether any of his Republican colleagues could flip their vote when it comes to overriding Trump, Thornberry said, Its possible.
All members have to bear the consequences of a no vote, Thornberry warned. And one of the consequences is that military pay is going to go down, that we are going to forgo a lot of important bipartisan steps to better compete with the threat from China.
Trump has threatened to veto the NDAA over two particular provisions.
First, the bill would require the Pentagon to rename Confederate-named military bases and other property in three years and set up a commission to plan how to carry out those changes.
Trump argues that changing the names desecrates the bases, but lawmakers in both parties see it as past due as the military and the nation grapple with racism and the legacy of slavery.
Trump is also threatening to veto the bill because it does not include a repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a 1996 law that gives online platforms liability protection for content posted by third parties while allowing them to make good-faith content moderation efforts.
Trump, who became fixated on Section 230 after Twitter started adding corrective labels to his unsubstantiated posts alleging widespread voter fraud, demanded late in the negotiations that Congress add a repeal of the decades-old statute to the NDAA. But lawmakers on both sides of the aisle argue the NDAA is not the place to address a tech issue that has little if anything to do with national security.
The NDAA, which has become law 59 years in a row, is considered must-pass because it authorizes dozens of special pay and bonuses for service members, as well as military construction projects and training programs.
Presidents often threaten to veto the NDAA without following through. Former President Obama threatened to veto it every year of his tenure, but only did so once over a budget dispute and later signed a revised version of that years NDAA after Congress reached a broader budget agreement.
For this years NDAA, the House and Senate both passed their initial versions of the bill in July with more than two-thirds approval. The Senate voted 86-14, while the House passed theirs 295-125.
Thornberry predicted more House Republicans will vote for the compromise bill Tuesday than the initial July version because some provisions the GOP opposed have gone away.
House and Senate Armed Services leaders on both sides of the aisle have also communicated to the White House about the possibility of an override, Thornberry said.
Other than a couple of senators running for president, which we all need to take with a grain of salt, I dont know of anybody whos saying, Yeah, this is the time and the way to deal with liability of social media companies, Thornberry added.
Sen. Josh HawleyJoshua (Josh) David HawleyWarren signals concerns about bipartisan coronavirus frameworkOvernight Health Care: Biden unveils health team with Becerra, Murthy, Walensky in top roles | Trump officials deny turning down additional doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine | Fauci: Christmas could be worse than Thanksgiving for coronavirus spreadLawmakers face hurdles to COVID relief dealMORE (R-Mo.), seen as a possible 2024 presidential hopeful, has said he will not support the bill because it excludes Section 230 language and includes the Confederate base names language.
Hawley said Monday that Section 230 was one of several topics he spoke with Trump about Saturday as the president flew back to Washington from a rally in Georgia.
I take what he says at face value, Hawley said of the veto threat. It seems that hes very committed to this.
Sen. Lindsey GrahamLindsey Olin GrahamAntitrust, content moderation to dominate tech policy in 2021NDAA underscores GOP differences with Trump on defenseWhy the polls weren’t as wrong as you thinkMORE (R-S.C.) has also said he supports Trumps insistence on putting a Section 230 repeal in the NDAA, saying, It is our best chance to change course while we still can.
I take a back seat to no one when it comes to supporting our nations military, Graham tweeted. However, Section 230 is allowing America to be fundamentally changed as it relates to the flow of information.
House Majority Leader Steny HoyerSteny Hamilton HoyerLawmakers face hurdles to COVID relief dealOvernight Defense: Congress headed to veto showdown with Trump over defense bill | House to vote on stopgap spending bill | Biden to name Pentagon chief pick FridayMcConnell says Senate will pass defense bill despite veto threatMORE (D-Md.) told Bloomberg News last week the lower chamber has the votes to override Trump, adding in a floor speech Friday that he looks forward to the NDAA overwhelmingly passing both chambers next week and, if necessary, overriding a threatened veto by President Trump.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellWarren signals concerns about bipartisan coronavirus frameworkGeorgia Senate battle is a high stakes poker gameOvernight Health Care: Biden unveils health team with Becerra, Murthy, Walensky in top roles | Trump officials deny turning down additional doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine | Fauci: Christmas could be worse than Thanksgiving for coronavirus spreadMORE (R-Ky.) said in a floor speech Monday the Senate will pass the NDAA this week. Sen. John ThuneJohn Randolph ThuneMcConnell says Senate will pass defense bill despite veto threatAntitrust, content moderation to dominate tech policy in 2021NDAA underscores GOP differences with Trump on defenseMORE (S.D.), the No. 2 Republican in the chamber, said he expects a big vote this week, but demurred when asked if theyll have the votes to override a veto.
A source close to the administration told The Hill that it seems like Congress is prepared to override a veto.
The hope is to have a big vote [in favor of the NDAA] to deter Trump from issuing a veto, the source added.
A second person close to the administration said some of Trumps aides are urging him to veto the bill but predicted he wouldnt follow through amid the pushback.
Some Republicans have indicated they would vote to override Trumps veto.
We need to pay our troops. We need defense, Sen. Bill CassidyBill CassidyOvernight Health Care: Biden unveils health team with Becerra, Murthy, Walensky in top roles | Trump officials deny turning down additional doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine | Fauci: Christmas could be worse than Thanksgiving for coronavirus spreadThe Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – So many questions about COVID-19 vaccinesThis week: Congress poised to buy more time on spending, coronavirus talksMORE (R-La.) said on Fox News Sunday when asked if he would override a veto. My inclination would be to always vote for the troops and to vote for our national security, but to look for another vehicle to address the Section 230 issues that are so important to the president.
I havent done a whip count, but we all recognize the world is an increasingly dangerous place, Cassidy added when asked about whether Republicans would vote to override Trump.
Rep. Adam KinzingerAdam Daniel KinzingerThe Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – So many questions about COVID-19 vaccinesTrump critic: I am not afraid of TrumpOVERNIGHT ENERGY: EPA proposes reapproving uses of pesticide linked to brain damage in children | Hispanic caucus unhappy with transition team treatment of Lujan Grisham | Schwarzenegger backs Nichols to lead EPAMORE (R-Ill.) has explicitly said he will vote to override, saying in a tweet responding to Trumps veto threat that its really not about you.
Sen. Chuck GrassleyCharles (Chuck) Ernest GrassleySenate gears up for battle over Barr’s new special counselAlabama Republican becomes third House member to test positive for COVID-19 this weekThe Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Mastercard – Dem leaders back smaller COVID-19 relief bill as pandemic escalatesMORE (R-Iowa) declined Monday to say whether he supports trying to override a veto, but added, Obviously I want the bill to pass. In July, Grassley predicted the Senate would probably override an NDAA veto.
Another issue with overriding a veto is the calendar. The House and Senate are slated to leave town next week until January if they pass a government funding bill, and lawmakers would have to start from scratch on the bill if it doesnt become law before the new Congress is sworn in early next month.
But Hoyer and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam SmithDavid (Adam) Adam SmithOvernight Defense: Congress headed to veto showdown with Trump over defense bill | House to vote on stopgap spending bill | Biden to name Pentagon chief pick FridayHouse chairman endorses Michele Flournoy for Biden’s Pentagon chiefWashington braces for clash over defense budgetMORE (D-Wash.) both told reporters Monday that Congress would return to town if Trump vetoes the NDAA.
Citing conversations with Republicans, Smith also said GOP lawmakers strongly support this bill.
If the president vetoes it, we will come back to vote to override, Smith said. Theres not a single member of this Congress who cant vote for this bill in good conscience and feel good about it, in my humble opinion. So we should pass it, and if it takes two-thirds to pass it because the president is being unreasonable, then we will get that.
Brett Samuels and Jordain Carney contributed.
