Virginia’s two U.S. Senators, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, released statements hailing the Senate 81-13 vote to override President Trump’s veto of the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA):
Sen. Kaine stated, “I’m glad my colleagues on both sides of the aisle stood by our servicemembers and rejected President Trump’s veto. For 60 years in a row, the NDAA has provided necessary support for our troops and national security. Today’s vote sent a clear message that Congress will not allow President Trump to stand in the way of that support, and I’m relieved the critical bipartisan priorities we fought for will become law.”
Sen. Warner stated, “Today, I voted to override the President’s veto of the NDAA. This annual defense bill is critical to U.S. national security. Failure to pass it would jeopardize our country’s military readiness and national defense, cybersecurity, the well-being of our U.S. service members and their families, and more. The stakes are just too high to risk further delay.”
Warner noted the FY21 NDAA, which passed through the Senate earlier this month, contains a number of Warner-led provisions, including ones to combat illicit finance, prioritize U.S. innovation and technology development in 5G and semiconductors, protect military families, create a more diverse Pentagon workforce, enable greater SCIF flexibility, fund the procurement of a second Virginia-class submarine, and expand the list of service-connected presumptive conditions related to Agent Orange exposure.
Earlier this week, the House voted 322-87 to override President Trump’s veto of the NDAA. Following today’s Senate vote, the bill will become law.