12/1/20
President Trump on Tuesday threatened to veto an annual defense bill authorizing nearly $1 trillion in military spending unless Congress opens the door for Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites to be held legally liable for the way they police their platforms. Trump delivered his ultimatum — calling for the repeal of a federal law known as Section 230 — in a pair of late-night tweets that transformed a critical national security debate into a political war over his unproved allegations that Silicon Valley’s technology giants exhibit systemic bias against conservatives. Unless the “very dangerous & unfair Section 230 is not completely terminated as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA),” Trump continued, “I will be forced to unequivocally VETO the Bill when sent to the very beautiful Resolute desk.” Section 230 is a broad, decades-old federal law that spares a wide array of sites and services from being held liable for the content posted by their users — and, in the process, the decisions about the posts, photos and videos that tech companies take down or leave online. It is considered one of the Web’s foundational laws, crafted in large part to facilitate free expression digitally.
Trump’s ultimatum arrives after he previously threatened to veto the roughly $740 billion defense bill, known as the NDAA, over a provision that would require the Pentagon to change the names of 10 military installations that recognize Confederate military officers who fought to preserve slavery. Trump has said he will not allow that to happen, and he grew angry when defense officials said that Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper, whom Trump has since fired, and Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy had signaled openness to the bases being renamed. Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told The Washington Post in an interview last month that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has a policy against putting bills on the floor for a vote when they have a veto threat. But some Republicans in recent days have suggested a trade: Reforming Section 230 in exchange for the base-name changes that Democrats seek, according to a person familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity to describe the private conversations. Democrats largely have balked at the idea, the source said.
