House Freedom Caucus back president's NDAA veto threat: 'Our military is no place to play politics'

Trump wants Congress to get rid of a provision to examine renaming military installations

The House Freedom Caucus is pledging its support of President Trump’s threat to veto the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). 

The House is expected to pass the bill.

Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said the $741 billion bill is “filled with flaws and problems and “does not limit itself to taking care of the military.” 

“I hope House Republicans will vote against the very weak National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which I will VETO,” Mr. Trump tweeted Tuesday.

Biggs noted that as Trump seeks to draw down U.S. troops throughout the world, the bill as it stands puts limits on troop withdrawals and gives the power back to Congress. 

Rep. Jody Hice, R-Ga., said the bill was "filled with progressive agenda items." 

HOUSE TEES UP TRUMP VETO OVERRIDE FIGHT ON DEFENSE SPENDING BILL 

"Our military is no place to be playing politics," he added. 

“This is real simple, we need to go back and rework this bill,” Rep. Jim Jordan, R- Ohio, said. 

The bill, which secures pay rates for troops and other military spending allotments, has passed on a bipartisan basis for decades. 

Trump has said Congress must get rid of a provision to create a commission to rename military installations. He’s also insisted the bill must include nixing Section 230, which provides liability protections for social media giants and tech firms. 

TRUMP SAYS HE'LL VETO DEFENSE BILL UNLESS SECTION 230 IS TERMINATED

"I hope House Republicans will vote against the very weak National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which I will VETO," Trump reiterated Tuesday. "Must include a termination of Section 230 (for National Security purposes), preserve our National Monuments, & allow for 5G & troop reductions in foreign lands!"

Trump has feuded with Big Tech after they’ve slapped labels on his content. He also has questioned whether these firms are neutral in their editorial decisions.

The president has vetoed eight measures during his term, but Congress has never successfully overridden one of his vetoes.

Veto overrides are rare. There have only been 111 in U.S. history. A successful veto override requires two-thirds of the votes in both the House and Senate. But this scenario for a veto override could be ripe in the president's waning days in office.

The House passed the original version of the defense bill 295-125, a few notches above the two-thirds threshold. The Senate vote was 86-14, well above the two-thirds bar.

There are consequences for the military if Congress and the president fail to reach an agreement on the bill.

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New training regimens cease. Also, members of the military won't receive bonuses and hazard pay. Fox is told at least 100,000 members of the armed forces will see a reduction in pay.

Fox News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report. 

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