Thornberry’s push comes before a rollback vote on Monday that Republicans can make or break. The vote will test whether GOP members are willing to challenge Trump en masse, a scenario suggested by Thornberry.
“Your decision must be based on the oath we all took, which was to the Constitution, and not to any person or organization,” he said.
This year’s version of the defense bill is named after Thornberry, who will retire at the end of the Congressional session next week.
Trump vetoed the bill after Democrats and Republicans refused to include his last-minute demand to repeal legal protections for social media companies, which is unrelated to defense legislation. He also opposed provisions that would remove the names of Confederate leaders from Army bases and put limits on his plans to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and Europe.
The commander-in-chief also argued that the defense bill is a gift to Beijing, contradicting Republican congressmen who consider it the toughest legislation in recent years.
Leading Republicans also warned that allowing the NDAA to fail would hamper a significant cyber review amid a widespread invasion of federal agencies that would have been perpetrated by Russia.
Thornberry did not mention Trump by name, but shared several fact sheets on provisions that Trump cited in a formal statement rejecting the bill, including provisions on withdrawing troops and renaming bases. He also shared fact sheets on the provisions of the cyber security and China bill.
Thornberry also linked to a summary of key provisions and authorities, including a series of salary and bonus provisions, which would lapse if the NDAA failed.
The compromise bill passed the House this month in a vote bursting 335-78, well beyond the two-thirds majority needed to overturn a presidential veto. The Senate also passed the final NDAA by a wide margin.
But the annulment requires solid bipartisan support, and Republicans could lose the bill if enough of them sided with Trump. Republicans provided 140 votes for NDAA approval this month, joining forces with 195 Democrats.
The dilemma of challenging Trump exposed cracks at the House Republican conference. Minority leader Kevin McCarthy voted to approve the bill, but said he will not vote to overturn Trump, while minority leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) Opposed the bill. Several dozen conservatives aligned with Trump have also opposed the legislation.
On the other hand, senior Republicans like Thornberry and Liz Cheney, president of the Wyoming Republican Party Conference, emphasized the need to enact the bill at all costs.
“This is a time to put our nation’s security and our responsibility for our troops above any other consideration,” said Thornberry.