London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Feb 17, 2026

Congress Has Overridden A Trump Veto For The First Time In His Presidency

Congress Has Overridden A Trump Veto For The First Time In His Presidency

The defense spending bill passed with a veto-proof majority in both chambers of Congress, but Trump went ahead and vetoed it anyway.

The Senate has overridden President Donald Trump's veto of the defense spending bill in a 81-13 vote on Friday, just four days after the House did the same, delivering Trump a stinging snub as his presidential term comes to a close.

The Senate first voted 80-12 to limit debate on the president's veto, quickly advancing to the final vote which required a two-thirds majority to overturn the veto. With bipartisan support, the final vote easily surpassed that threshold.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which increases salaries for soldiers, allocates more benefits to Vietnam War veterans, and expands hazardous duty incentive pay, has historically had an easy passage through Congress and has been signed into law every year for decades.

The bill landed on the president's desk this year with a veto-proof majority in both chambers of Congress. But it was quickly rejected by Trump, who had been threatening a veto for months if the bill did not repeal Section 230, a provision in the Communications Decency Act that protects social media platforms from being held liable for what users post on their websites.

Trump has tried to undo Section 230 ever since social media websites began labeling his posts for misinformation, and has attempted to do so both through his executive power and the Department of Justice.

He has claimed that the provision allows platforms like Twitter and Facebook — which have been slow and tepid in their response to hate speech and Trump's lies about election fraud — to censor conservatives like him.

"Section 230 facilitates the spread of foreign disinformation online, which is a serious threat to our national security and election integrity," he said in a statement issued after his veto.

The 2021 NDAA does not mention Section 230, and Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike have pointed out that it is irrelevant to legislation on military spending.

Trump on Friday called the Senate's vote to override his veto "pathetic."

"Our Republican Senate just missed the opportunity to get rid of Section 230, which gives unlimited power to Big Tech companies," he tweeted.


Trump also said he opposed language in the bill that would remove Confederate leaders' names from military bases, describing it as a "politically motivated" attempt to "wash away history."

He continued to criticize the bill through Christmas weekend, railing against "weak and tired Republican 'leadership'" and calling the NDAA "A disgraceful act of cowardice and total submission by weak people to Big Tech" on Tuesday.


The measure includes the most substantial revision to anti–money laundering laws since the Patriot Act in 2001. The legislation will require secretive American shell companies to disclose who owns them and who profits from them — one of the many systemic problems identified in the FinCEN Files, a global investigation by BuzzFeed News and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

The stories — based on more than 2,000 sensitive financial documents — exposed the myriad ways that banks fail to stanch the flow of dirty money and how ineffective the US government is in holding bankers accountable.

After years of inaction, public officials cited the BuzzFeed News–ICIJ Investigation as a reason the reforms finally gained traction. Sen. Ron Wyden said “sustained public interest certainly helped get these provisions across the finish line.”

“The BuzzFeed story makes clear we need to strengthen, reform, and update our nation’s anti–money laundering laws,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee.

The vote overriding Trump's veto is the first time congressional Republicans' legislative support for the president has cracked.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
‘The only thing illegal is Keir Starmer handing these islands to a country like Mauritius!’
JD Vance says Germany is “killing itself” by taking in millions of fake asylum seekers from culturally incompatible nations.
UK Markets Signal Opportunity as Starmer Confronts Intensifying Political Pressure
Trump Criticises Newsom’s UK Climate Pact, Defends Federal Authority Over Foreign Engagements
UK’s Top Prosecutor Says ‘No One Is Above the Law’ as Police Review Claims Against Ex-Prince Andrew
Businessman Adam Brooks weighs in on the reports that the US is set to help Hamit Coskun flee the UK, over free speech concerns
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi Releases 3.5 Million Pages of Jeffrey Epstein Case Files
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio Comment on European allies report blaming Russia for killing late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny using toxin from poison dart frogs
Eighty-Year-Old Lottery Winner Sentenced to 16.5 Years for Drug Trafficking
UK Quran Burner May Receive Asylum in the US Amid Legal Challenges
Rubio Calls for Sweeping U.N. Reform, Saying It Has Failed to End Wars in Gaza and Ukraine
10,000 Condoms Distributed at Winter Olympics 2026 Athlete Village Depleted Within 72 Hours
Poland's President Advocates for Evaluating Independent Nuclear Weapons Development
Prince William Meets Saudi Crown Prince as Epstein-Andrew Fallout Casts Shadow
Starmer Calls for Renewed ‘Hard Power’ Investment at European Security Summit
UK Police Establish National Taskforce to Handle Domestic Epstein-Linked Allegations
UK Court Rules Ban on Palestine Action Unlawful in Major Free Speech Test
UK Faces Prospect of Net Migration Turning Negative as Economic Impact Looms
Mayor of Serdobsk in Russia’s Penza Region Resigns After Housing Certificates Granted to Migrant Family Trigger Public Outcry
Pentagon Reviews Anthropic Partnership After Claude AI Reportedly Used in Operation Targeting Nicolás Maduro
President Donald Trump and Hip-Hop’s Political Realignment: Pardons, Public Endorsements, and the Struggle Over Cultural Influence
China’s EV Makers Face Mandatory Return to Physical Buttons and Door Handles in Driver-Distraction Safety Overhaul
Goldman Sachs and DP World Executive Resignations: Elite-Reputation Risk and Corporate Governance Fallout From the Epstein Disclosures
‘Amelia’: The UK Government’s Anti-Extremism Game Villain Who Became a Protest Symbol
Peter Mandelson Asked to Testify Before US Congress Over Jeffrey Epstein Links
Walmart's Earnings and UK Economic Data Highlight Upcoming Financial Trends
UK Green Party Considering Proposal to Legalize Heroin for an Inclusive Society
SpaceX's New Vision: Lunar City Takes Precedence Over Mars Colonization
OpenAI and DeepCent Superintelligence Race: Artificial General Intelligence and AI Agents as a National Security Arms Race
Document Suggests Prince Andrew Shared UK Briefing on Afghan Investment Opportunities with Jeffrey Epstein
We will protect them from the digital Wild West.’ Another country will ban social media for under-16s
McDonald's Shortens Breakfast Hours in Australia Due to Egg Shortage
Heineken announces cut of 6,000 jobs due to declining beer demand
Beijing Brands UK Hong Kong Visa Expansion ‘Despicable and Reprehensible’ After Jimmy Lai Sentencing
Tesco Chief Warns UK Is ‘Sleepwalking’ Toward a Joblessness Crisis
Trump’s ‘Act of Great Stupidity’ Comment on UK Chagos Deal Reverberates Through Diplomacy and Strategy
New U.S. filings say Jeffrey Epstein repaid Les Wexner one hundred million dollars after theft allegation
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick acknowledges 2012 visit to Jeffrey Epstein’s private island as lawmakers scrutinise past ties
Helsing and Stark Defence loitering-munition drones and Germany’s race to industrialise battlefield autonomy
UK orders deletion of Courtsdesk court-data archive, reigniting the fight over who controls public justice records
UK Police Review Fresh Claims Involving Prince Andrew as Senior Royals Respond to Epstein Files
Keir Starmer’s Premiership Faces Unprecedented Strain as Epstein Fallout Deepens
Starmer Vows to Stay in Office as UK Government Faces Turmoil After Epstein Fallout
China and UK Signal Tentative Reset with Commitment to Steadier, Professionally Managed Relations
UK Confirms Imminent Increase in ETA Fee to £20 as Entry Rules Tighten
UK Signals Possible Seizure of Russia-Linked ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tanker in Escalation of Sanctions Enforcement
Epstein Scandal Piles Unprecedented Pressure on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Leadership
UK’s ‘Most Romantic Village’ Celebrates Valentine’s Day and Explores the Festival’s Rich History
The Implications of Expanding Voting Rights to Non-EU Foreign Residents in France
Ghislaine Maxwell to Testify Before US Congress on February 9
×