Today: 26 April 2025
24 December 2020
2 mins read

Trump vetoes annual defence bill citing ‘national security’

The veto is so rare in history that it hasn’t happened to the NDAA for nearly six consecutive decades….reports Asian Lite News

US President Donald Trump vetoed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021, despite the bill’s passage in Congress by a veto-proof majority.

The presidential action followed through on Trump’s threat to block the US $741 billion annual national security legislation, which now depends on both the House and the Senate overriding the veto for the bill to be enacted, Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.

The bill had passed the Senate in an 84-13 vote and the House in a 355-78 vote, both reaching the two-thirds majority to override a presidential veto.

The veto is so rare in history that it hasn’t happened to the NDAA for nearly six consecutive decades.

“I am returning, without my approval, H.R. 6395 … My Administration recognizes the importance of the Act to our national security,” Trump wrote in a statement to Congress notifying lawmakers of his decision.

“Unfortunately, the Act fails to include critical national security measures, includes provisions that fail to respect our veterans and our military’s history, and contradicts efforts by my Administration to put America first in our national security and foreign policy actions,” said the president.

Trump objected the bill, which will fund the US military portfolio through September 2021, because it didn’t include a provision to repeal or “make any meaningful changes” to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a law that provides a legal shield to social media giants like Twitter and Facebook, which the president claimed used that section of the law to suppress conservative voices.

Trump’s refusal to sign the bill into law also derived from the inclusion of a provision that requires Confederate military bases to be renamed within three years.

The president, in his statement, also purported that the bill “restricts the President’s ability to preserve our Nation’s security by arbitrarily limiting the amount of military construction funds that can be used to respond to a national emergency,” and that “numerous provisions of the Act directly contradict my Administration’s foreign policy, particularly my efforts to bring our troops home.”

The House is scheduled to hold the override vote Monday, with the Senate to follow Tuesday.

Also read:UN slams Trump’s Blackwater pardons

Previous Story

US sanctions: Russian FM warns retaliation

Next Story

Canada extends UK flight ban till Jan 6

Latest from -Top News

Sikh Community Pays Rich Tributes to Pope 

UAE Sikh community mourns Pope Francis, honoring him as a global symbol of faith and compassion…reports Asian Lite News The Sikh community of the United Arab Emirates extends heartfelt condolences on the

India Praises UAE’s Global AI Benchmark 

Kaustubh Dhavse, Maharashtra CM’s OSD, hailed the UAE’s AI model as a global benchmark driving digital innovation and attracting global talent…reports Asia Lite News Kaustubh Dhavse, Joint Secretary and Officer on Special

Azad Moopen Pays Tribute to Pope Francis 

Dr. Moopen also noted Pope Francis’ historic 2019 visit to the UAE, a landmark moment in fostering interfaith dialogue and tolerance…reports Asian Lite News Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman of Aster DM
Go toTop