HOUSE VOTES TO OVERRIDE TRUMP’S VETO OF DEFENSE BILL

The Democratic-controlled House voted overwhelmingly to override President Donald Trump’s veto of a defense policy bill, setting the stage for what would be the first veto override of his presidency, Matthew Daly reported for the Associated Press (AP).

House members voted 322-87 to override the veto, well above the two-thirds needed to override. The Senate, which is expected to vote on the override this week, also needs to approve it by a two-thirds majority.

The House vote was a rare bipartisan rebuke during the final days of the Trump presidency, the New York Times reported.

The defense bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, affirms 3% pay raises for US troops and authorizes more than $740 billion in military programs and construction.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said after the vote that the House had done its part to ensure the NDAA becomes law “despite the president’s dangerous sabotage efforts.″

Trump’s “reckless veto would have denied our service members hazard-duty pay,″ removed key protections for global peace and security and ”undermined our nation’s values and work to combat racism, by blocking overwhelmingly bipartisan action to rename military bases,″ Pelosi said.

Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the bill “absolutely vital to our national security and our troops,″ adding, “Our men and women who volunteer to wear the uniform shouldn’t be denied what they need — ever.”

The vote, the first time a chamber of Congress has moved to override one of Mr. Trump’s vetoes, underscored the popularity of the legislation, which authorizes a pay raise for the nation’s troops.

Mr. Trump has cited a shifting list of reasons for his veto, including his objection to a provision directing the military to strip the names of Confederate leaders from its bases.

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