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House overrides Trump veto, defying demand to repeal Section 230

House overrides Trump veto, defying demand to repeal Section 230

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The House of Representatives has voted to override Donald Trump’s veto of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by a vote of 322 to 87 votes—easily exceeding the required two-thirds vote. The measure now goes to the Senate, where it must also pass by a two-to-one margin to overcome Trump’s opposition.

Every year, Congress passes the NDAA to fund the military—this year’s bill provides $740 billion for the Pentagon. Thanks to broad public support for the military, the NDAA is widely seen as a “must pass” measure. This makes it a tempting vehicle for attaching unrelated proposals that might not otherwise win Congressional approval.

In recent months, Donald Trump has been calling for Congress, the Federal Communications Commission, and other government agencies to modify or repeal Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a 1996 law that shields websites from liability for content uploaded by their users. Trump sees repeal of Section 230 as a way to retaliate against Facebook and Twitter for their perceived bias against him. But so far, Trump’s campaign against Section 230 has not gotten traction.

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