President Trump threatens to veto major defense bill unless Congress repeals Section 230, a legal shield for tech giants

President Donald Trump 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. President 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. “Section 230, which is a liability shielding gift from the U.S. to ‘Big Tech’ (the only companies in America that have it — corporate welfare!), is a serious threat to our National Security & Election Integrity,” President Trump tweeted. Unless the “very dangerous & unfair Section 230 is not completely terminated as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA),” he continued, “I will be forced to unequivocally VETO the Bill when sent to the very beautiful Resolute desk.” 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.