President Trump asked Republicans to reject the defense bill until section 230 is eliminated. Instead, they overwhelmingly voted to pass it with a veto-proof majority. The vote, which broke down to 335-78, is a slap in the President’s face.
The Senate might not pass it with these same numbers.
Some lawmakers on both sides of the aisle claim President Trump is settling personal scores.
That’s ridiculous. He’s not settling scores. He wants to do something about the overly-powerful social media platforms. Trump wants the border wall and he doesn’t want the forts renamed.
These people are a disgrace.
Trump has threatened to veto the bill because it doesn’t include a repeal of Section 230, a law that shields internet companies from being liable for what is posted on their websites by them or third parties. The bill also includes provisions to limit how much money Trump can move around for his border wall and another that would require the military to rename bases that were named after figures from the Confederacy.
On Tuesday morning, the President urged House Republicans to oppose the bill just hours ahead of a scheduled vote, saying, “I hope House Republicans will vote against the very weak National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which I will VETO.”
McCarthy said that he would not vote to override a veto of the legislation, saying, “I don’t believe Republicans, in our work with the President always, that you vote to override a veto.”
Rep. Liz Cheney, a member of House GOP leadership, feels differently. She called on Monday for Trump not to veto the bill. “We ought to pass the NDAA and the President should not veto it. And we should override it,” she told CNN.
The conservative House Freedom Caucus announced on Tuesday that its members will side with Trump in his opposition to the legislation and they are pressuring other House Republicans to side with Trump, a move that could make it harder to override a veto.
GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham tweeted that he backed the President on his push to remove Section 230.
“I support President @realDonaldTrump’s insistence Section 230 repeal be part of the defense authorization bill,” he wrote in a three-tweet thread. “Big Tech is the only industry in America that cannot be sued for their business practices and are not meaningfully regulated. This must come to an end.”
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