London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 07, 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
Laura Trott Pledges Tighter Controls on Political Activism in UK Classrooms
Welsh Ministers Launch Long-Term Review of North Wales and Anglesey Crossings
Welsh Government Orders 18-Month Study of Road Solutions Around Newport
Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin Faces Scrutiny Over £800,000 Second Home Purchase
British Households Grow More Concerned About Fuel and Energy Prices
NHS Leaders Warn of Rising Winter Pressure on Emergency Departments
Kemi Badenoch Proposes £2.3 Billion Employer National Insurance Cut for Young Workers
Middle East Conflict Could Erase UK Fiscal Headroom, Economists Warn
Manchester City Found Guilty of Multiple Premier League Financial Rule Breaches
UK Security Services Find Strong Indications of Iranian Role in RAF Fairford Incident
Costa Coffee Returns to Operating Profit on Iced Drinks and Menu Changes
Asos Warns Customers After Unauthorized Access to Retail App and Data
Kemi Badenoch Puts Growth and Deregulation at Center of Conservative Conference
Campaigners Warn of Deepening Social Care Crisis for Disabled Adults
Study Finds Rising Early-Onset Cancer Rates Among Adults Under 50 in Britain
UK Coach Operators Warn High Diesel Prices Could Force Route Cuts
FCA Opens Independent Review Into Handling of Epstein-Linked Whistleblower Case
Argentina Vows to Block Falkland Islands Offshore Oil Development
UK Chancellor Prepares Fiscal Measures and Welfare Reforms Ahead of Autumn Budget
Sainsbury’s and Morrisons Explore Potential Multi-Billion-Pound Merger
UK Weighs Tariffs on Chinese Electric Vehicles to Align With European Union
UK Threatens Diplomatic Expulsions Over Planned Closure of East Jerusalem Consulate
UK Energy Price Cap Hits Three-Year High as Middle East Conflict Raises Costs
Seventh Arrest Made in Suspected Terror Plot at RAF Fairford
Systemic Education Collapse Sparks Mass Student Uprisings in France
Green Party Faces Backlash Over Resolution Equating Zionism With Racism
Conservatives Debate Scrapping Environmental Rules for New Homes
Cornwall Insight Warns UK Energy Bills Could Approach £2,000 This Winter
UK Coach Operators Warn of Service Cuts as Diesel Prices Exceed £2
Scottish Parliament Approves £68 Billion Budget With New Tax and Property Measures
FCA Opens Independent Review Into Handling of Epstein Whistleblower
UK Government Drops Plan to Suspend Jury Trials in England and Wales
Bank of England Holds Interest Rate at 3.75% as Markets Watch November
Two Iranian Nationals Charged Over Alleged Plot Targeting Manchester Jewish Community
UK Fiscal Headroom Halves to £11 Billion Ahead of Budget, EY Warns
US Bomber Withdrawal From RAF Fairford Prompts UK Security Review
Sarah Wakfer Appointed Chair of Northern Ireland’s Health and Care Regulator
Scotland Housing Completions Fall to 11-Year Low Amid National Shortage
UK Water Companies Face Tougher Oversight and Unannounced Regulatory Inspections
Middle East Conflict Pushes UK Fuel and Wholesale Energy Prices Higher
Andy Burnham Raises Prospect of Second Brexit Referendum in Review of UK-EU Relations
EY Warns UK Fiscal Headroom Has Halved to £11 Billion Ahead of Autumn Budget
BT Accused of Pressuring Vulnerable Customers During Digital Landline Shift
British Carmakers Warn of Growing Pressure From EU-China Tariff Dispute
Green Party of England and Wales Adopts Motion Defining Zionism as Racism
Medical Charity Threatens NHS Legal Action Over Two-Year Autism and ADHD Assessment Waits
British Transport Police Report Record Rise in Violence on Railways
Glasgow Council Workers Face Pay Cuts Under Fire-and-Rehire Plan
British Medical Groups Press Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Cancel £330 Million Palantir NHS Contract
UK Faces Record Bluetongue Outbreak Across Livestock Farms
×