President Donald Trump on Wednesday (Dec. 23) formally vetoed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (also known as the “National Defense Budget Act” or NDAA) after it failed to repeal legal protections for the social media giant while also allowing for the renaming of 10 military installations named after Confederate leaders.
“I am returning S. 6395, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. My administration understands the importance of the bill to national security. Unfortunately, the bill fails to include critical national security measures, fails to include provisions to honor veterans and military history, and contradicts my administration’s policy of putting America first in national security and foreign policy actions.” Trump said.
“This is a ‘gift’ to China (Communist Party of China) and Russia.” He added.
Failure to repeal Section 230 would make intelligence work unenforceable
Trump said the bill fails to make any meaningful changes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act – the legal provision that protects tech companies like Google, Twitter and Facebook from content lawsuits – despite calls from both parties.
“Failure to end Section 230 – the very dangerous national security risk it poses would make our intelligence efforts nearly impossible to execute because it lets everyone know what we are doing with our (intelligence) every step of the way.” Trump said in his veto letter.
He stressed, “Section 230 facilitates the online dissemination of foreign disinformation, which poses a serious threat to our national security and the integrity of our elections. It must be repealed.”
In this year’s U.S. election fraud controversy, high-tech companies such as Google, Twitter and Facebook have continued to exercise a policy of deletion and suppression of speech proposing election fraud and fraudulent votes under the protection of Section 230. Posts including those by Trump and Republican lawmakers have been repeatedly hidden or labeled.
Trump opposes politically motivated renaming of military installations
Trump also opposes the National Defense Authorization Act, which includes proposals to rename 10 military installations named after Confederate leaders, as well as plans to potentially slow the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan as well as Germany.
“In the course of American history, these locations – to American history and those written in American history – mean much more than their literal names.” Trump said, “My administration honors the legacy of the millions of American servicemen and women who have served honorably at these military sites, where they fought, bled and died for their country. These installations document the two world wars we won.”
Trump said he opposes changing America’s history based on political purposes.
“I have always been unequivocally opposed to politically motivated attempts to wash away history and shame our nation for its tremendous accomplishments in living out the purposes for which we were founded.” He said.
At the same time, Trump does not want to slow down plans to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan as well as Germany.
When an enemy country attacks the United States, the president should have the authority to respond, unchecked by Congress.
Trump also criticized that elements of the bill include limiting the president’s ability to maintain national security and limiting the amount of money the president can spend on military construction in response to national emergencies.
“When an adversary pulls a stunt and directly attacks the U.S. homeland, the president must have the ability to keep the American people safe without waiting for authorization from Congress.” Trump said, “The bill also contains an amendment that slows the rollout of 5G across the United States, especially in rural areas.”
“I will not approve this bill because it would put the interests of Washington, D.C. agencies above the interests of the American people. It is my responsibility to disapprove and return House Bill 6395 to the House.” Trump concluded.
Since both the Senate and House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act by more than two-thirds of Congress, this means that the bill may automatically take effect after the process, even if President Trump opposes it.
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