The U.S. Senate on January 1 voted to override President Trump’s veto and turn the the fiscal 2021 defense authorization bill into law.
The 81-13 vote by the Senate easily exceeded the 67-member two-thirds majority needed for the chamber to override a presidential veto and follows a similarly overwhelming vote by the House of Representatives.
The $741 billion authorization bill is now set to take effect with several measures opposed by Trump, including provisions that place new limits on the White House’s authority to divert the military construction budget by emergency order and reduce troop levels at overseas bases.
Trump also objected to the bill because it did not roll back protections for social media companies and seeks to rename U.S. military bases that now honor Confederate generals.
The successful override vote comes in the last three weeks of the Trump Administration.
Five Democrats joined seven Republicans in the Senate to vote against the bill. Bernie Sanders, an Independent, also voted nay. The override cleared the House on December 28 with a 322-87 vote, with 66 Republicans, 20 Democrats and one Independent voting to let Trump's veto stand.
Related Content
