{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://crist.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2228", "Crist Calls on Congress to Overturn Presidential Veto of Defense Bill", "2020-12-23", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "FL", "Charlie Crist", "C001111", "crist.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Crist Calls on Congress to Overturn Presidential Veto of Defense Bill \r\n   \r\n    \r\n       \r\n      \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e\r\n      \r\n      \r\n    \r\n    \r\n      \r\n        Washington, DC,\r\n        December 23, 2020\r\n      \r\n       \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      \r\n      \r\n      Washington, DC U.S. Representative Charlie Crist (D-St. Petersburg) released a statement calling on Congress to override President Trump's veto of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2021 as soon as possible.\r\nThe $732 billion national defense bill which passed both the House and Senate earlier this month with an overwhelming veto-proof margin  now requires one more 2/3 vote in both the House and Senate to make the bipartisan defense bill law.\r\nThe United States Constitution was established in part to provide for the common defense. As the Representative from Florida's 13thCongressional District, I understand that my job is to do all I can to keep Pinellas families safe. That's why I was proud to join an overwhelming, bipartisan majority to pass this year's defense bill,said Rep. Crist. I struggle to make sense of why the Commander-in-Chief, in his final days in office, has taken this step which does not support our national defense or our troops  during the holidays no less. It sends a dangerous message to our adversaries as our nation prepares for a presidential transition and grapples with the unprecedented Russian cyberattack on our government and our businesses. Congress must step up and override this veto  for our troops, for our values, for our security, and for the people.\r\nThe National Defense Authorization Act, which passed the House and the Senate earlier this month, includes:\r\n \r\n    Confronting our adversaries like Russia and China by supporting our alliances, fully funding the European Deterrence Initiative, requiring reporting on Russian bounties on servicemembers being killed by terrorists, and authorizing a $2.2 billion Pacific Deterrence Initiative to contain China;\r\n    Securing our free and fair elections by allowing the State Department to offer rewards for providing information on foreign election interference;\r\n    A 3% pay raise for servicemembers and increased Hazardous Duty Pay to $275 a month;\r\n    Crist's bill to protect Coast Guard retirement pay from future government shutdowns;\r\n    Long-overdue benefits for Agent Orange-exposed veterans by adding Parkinsonism, bladder cancer, and hypothyroidism to the Agent Orange Presumptive List;\r\n    Protections for families in military housing, like those at MacDill AFB, by updating minimum health and safety standards for government-owned housing, repealing a law that allows the DOD to place families in substandard housing units, and requiring DOD to implement all Government Accountability Office recommendations for improvements;\r\n    A new Domestic Violence Task Force to actively work to stop domestic violence in the military;\r\n    Allowing victims of sexual harassment to make confidential reports outside the chain of command;\r\n    Report on the progress of restoring honor to veterans unjustly discharged under Don't Ask, Don't Tell, which has kept them from qualifying for the benefits they have earned;\r\n    And inclusion of VA employees in the paid parental leave benefit for federal employees.\r\n \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://crist.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2228"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9886301122605801, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}