US Congress passes defence bill despite Trump veto threat

Washington: At least 75 members of the Republican-led US Senate voted for a sweeping $740 billion annual defense bill as voting continued on Friday, a number larger than the two-thirds majority in the 100-member chamber that would be needed to defeat President Donald Trump's promised veto.

The National Defense Authorisation Act, or NDAA, has passed the US Congress for 59 straight years. Since the measure passed the House by a similarly large margin, backers of the bill hope that Trump can be persuaded to change his position.