TRUMPS BLAMES CHINA FOR HIS VETO OF DEFENSE BILL

President Donald Trump offered a new rationale for threatening to veto the annual defense policy bill that covers the military's budget for equipment and pay raises for service members: China.

Typical of him, he did not outline his concerns after the two houses of Congress rebuffed his early objection to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) since it did not contain any provision to scrap Section 230, which granted tech firms much leeway on the third-party content they carry. Lawmakers scratched their heads, claiming Section 230 has nothing to do with NDAA, Darlene Superville reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Republican and Democratic lawmakers say the wide-ranging defense policy bill, which the Senate sent to the president on Friday, would be tough on China and must become law as soon as possible. Both the House and Senate passed the measure by margins large enough to override a potential veto from the president, who has a history of failing to carry out actions he has threatened and merely perorating on issues not germane to legislation. “The biggest winner of our new defense bill is China! I will veto!” Trump said in a new tweet but the White House slept on requests for it to be specific about Trump’s specific concerns about China.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said the bill would help deter Chinese aggression. Other GOP backers of the measure like Sen. John Thune of South Dakota and Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, a member of the House Armed Services Committee said the bill would counter threats from countries such as China. Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Trump's declaration that China is the biggest winner in the defense bill is false. Reed also noted the shifting explanations Trump has given for the veto threats. “Trump clearly hasn’t read the bill, nor does he understand what’s in it," Reed said. “There are several bipartisan provisions in here that get tougher on China than the Trump Administration has ever been.”

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