House passes massive defense bill with veto-proof majority

With a veto-proof 335-78 bipartisan vote, the House passed a $741 billion defense policy bill on Tuesday.

Under the bill, military service members will get pay raises, the names of Confederate officers will be dropped from military bases, and Vietnam-era veterans exposed to Agent Orange will receive new benefits. It also requires that during protests, federal agents must identify themselves and their agencies — a response to the anti-racism and anti-police brutality demonstrations that swept the country over the summer.

Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said the House "sent a strong, bipartisan message to the American people: Our service members and our national security are more important than politics."

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President Trump has long objected to the bill, first saying he would veto it over the bases being renamed, then because he wanted the measure to include a repeal of legal protections for social media companies, a completely unrelated matter. The Senate will consider the legislation this week, and it is expected to pass overwhelmingly.