Ranking members of both Houses of the U.S. Congress are blasting president Donald Trump for again threatening to veto the $740 billion National Defense Authorization Act - this time by claiming the bill is weak on China.
"The biggest winner of our new defense bill is China! I will veto!" Trump tweeted Sunday.
He made the same threat last week. He said he would veto the bill if the Senate didn't repeal Section 230 of the communications code that protects Twitter, Facebook and other tech giants from content liability. Trump has long held these social media giants are biased against him and has threatened to punish them.
Trump has also threatened to veto the act over a requirement military bases honoring Confederate leaders be renamed.
The Senate disregarded Trump's threats and approved the act by a vote of 84-13 votes Friday, which is more than the 67-vote margin needed to override a presidential veto. The bill passed in the House earlier last week by a vote of 335 to 78.
Trump didn't reveal which portions of the act he thinks aren't tough enough on China. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) said Trump didn't do this because he hasn't read the bill at all.
"President Trump clearly hasn't read the bill, nor does he understand what's in it," asserted Reed. "There are several bipartisan provisions in here that get tougher on China than the Trump Administration has ever been."
Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Trump's claim China is the biggest winner in the defense bill is false. Reed also noted the shifting explanations Trump has given for his repeated veto threats.
Republican and Democratic lawmakers say the act, which the Senate sent to the president Friday, is as tough on China as it gets and must become law as soon as possible.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has said the bill will help deter Chinese aggression. Other Republican supporters of the legislation include Sen. John Thune of South Dakota (the second-ranking Senate leader) and Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, a member of the House Armed Services Committee.
Gallagher last week said the U.S. is at the beginning of a "New Cold War" against China. He pointed out the NDAA "takes important steps to help us meet these challenges and ultimately win this competition."
Thune said the measure will help the U.S. defend against threats from China and Russia.
"It's important for this bill to become law ASAP," he said.
Both the House and Senate passed the bill by margins large enough to override a veto from Trump. The NDAA has passed every year for the past 59 years. Some Republicans contend Trump won't veto the bill to preserve what little is left of his legacy.
