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Senate passes defense bill, setting up veto showdown with Trump

Donald Trump
Posted at 11:37 AM, Dec 11, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-11 13:52:54-05

The Senate has passed a defense spending bill that President Donald Trump has said he plans to veto, according to the Associated Press.

The National Defense Authorization Act passed the Senate with a 84 to 13 Friday. The annual bill affirms a 3% pay raise to U.S. troops and unlocks billions in military spending.

The bill passed despite an attempt from Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, to filibuster the bill and delay its passage. Paul said Thursday he opposed the bill because it limited Trump's ability to withdraw troops from the Middle East before he leaves office.

Trump has threatened to veto the bill unless lawmakers include a provision that would remove Section 230 from the 1996 Communications Decency Act. That section protects tech companies from being sued for content that other people post on their website.

Conservative lawmakers have attacked the provision in recent years, saying that the protections have led social media conglomerates to develop a liberal bias on the social media sites. Proponents of the provision
say it upholds free-market values in the marketplace of information.

Congress is expected to override a potential veto from Trump. The House of Representatives easily passed the bill earlier this month with a vote of 335-78.