US House approves defense bill foreseeing Turkey sanctions over S-400s
The US House of Representatives on Tuesday overwhelmingly backed a $740 billion defense policy bill that President Donald Trump has pledged to veto, heading toward a confrontation with the Republican president weeks before he is to leave office.
The vote was 335 to 78 in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, with strong support from both Democrats and Republicans, a margin that would be large enough to overcome Trump’s promised veto.
The Senate is expected to vote on the legislation this week. Backers hope Trump will reconsider his veto threat if it passes by a margin similar to the one in the House.
The NDAA sets policy for the Pentagon on everything from how many ships and rifles to buy to soldiers’ pay to how best to address geopolitical threats.
The bill includes language that would compel the president to impose fresh sanctions against Turkey for acquiring the Russian S-400 missile defense system. [Reuters, Kathimerini]
