In a rare rebuke, the Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives voted on Monday to override President Donald Trump's veto of a $740 billion defense policy bill.
Eve Johnson reports.
U.S. President Donald Trump is facing his first potential veto override weeks before leaving office.
The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday (December 28) voted to reject the president's veto on a $740 billion dollar defense bill.
The measure easily got the two-thirds majority needed to pass.
Texas Representative Mac Thornberry, from Trump's own Republican Party, rallied for GOP support ahead of the vote.
"Madam Speaker, I continue to support this bill as more than 80 percent of the House did just 20 days ago.
It's the exact same bill.
Not a comma has changed," he said.
The yearly legislation covers a host of defense issues, including a pay raise for U.S. troops It has been passed by Congress every year since 1961.
But Trump vetoed the bill last week, laying out a list of objections, including a provision to remove the names of Confederate generals from military bases.
The measure now goes to the Republican-led Senate, where it is expected to pass, and mark the first overturn of a Trump veto in the final days of his term.
But the president found support in the House on another spending bill.
Lawmakers voted to meet the President's demand to boost COVID-19 relief checks to $2000.
Trump signed a massive spending and relief bill Sunday.
But complained about the $600 earmarked for relief payments - asking for more.
Although the measure passed in the House, it faces an uncertain future when it goes to the Senate later this week.
Republican lawmakers have complained the higher amount would add hundreds of billions of dollars to the bill.
