House votes to override Trump's veto on the defense bill
The House on Monday overwhelmingly voted to override Trump's veto of the must-pass sweeping defense policy bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act.
The final vote was 322-87, receiving the two-thirds majority it required. There were 109 Republicans who voted to override the veto and 20 Democrats voted to sustain it.
The Senate is expected to hold its own veto override vote later this week.
If the Senate also overrides the president's veto, it will be the first time Congress has successfully rejected a presidential veto during Trump's presidency.
Shortly before the vote, GOP Rep. Mac Thornberry of Texas, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, urged his colleagues to vote for “the exact same bill” they did before, emphasizing that “not a comma has changed.”
“I would only ask that as members vote, they put the best interests of the country first,” Thornberry said. “There is no other consideration that should matter."
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The bill initially cleared both chambers of Congress with veto-proof majorities earlier this month. Trump then officially vetoed the bill last week because it didn'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 included a provision that would rename military bases named after Confederates, which Trump opposed.
The $740 billion bill includes pay raises for America's soldiers, improvements in body armor for women, coronavirus relief, military housing improvements and boosted sexual harassment prevention and response measures, among other items. It has passed both chambers of Congress for 59 years straight with strong bipartisan support.
Some Republicans voted to sustain Trump’s veto despite supporting the bill earlier this month.
The defense bill must become law before noon Jan. 3, when the new session of Congress begins, or it will expire.
-ABC News' Mariam Khan