Daily US Times: President Donald Trump has vetoed a whopping $740bn defence bill that passed Congress this month.
The president is objecting to provisions that limit troop withdrawals from Europe and Afghanistan and remove Confederate leaders’ names from military bases.
Mr Trump also wanted it to repeal a liability shield for social media companies.
Lawmakers passed the defence bill with an overwhelming majority and could override the president’s rejection.
Bills passed by Congress need a president’s signature to become law. On rare occasions, a president may choose to reject or give veto to legislation because of some policy disagreement.
Lawmakers still can override a presidential veto on a bill and enact the it into law by mustering two-thirds of votes in both chambers of Congress – the House of Representatives and the Senate.
If Congress does not override President Trump’s veto in this case, it would be the first time in 60 years that the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) does not become law.
The US President called the 4,500-page act, which has been nearly a year in the making, a “gift to China and Russia”.
In a statement, Mr Trump said: “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.”
The president also said the bill’s measures to limit bringing troops home was “bad policy” and “unconstitutional”.
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