Days before the Georgia runoff election, the Republican-controlled US Senate has voted to override President Donald Trump’s veto of a major defense bill with just weeks before he leaves office. It’s the first time Congress has rejected a Trump veto. The vote unlocks more than 700-billion dollars-worth of military spending. This year’s holiday season was cut short for US Senators as the body convened for a rare New Year’s Day session. While a final push to pass a coronavirus-aid bill fell through, senators voted to override President Trump’s veto of a sweeping defense bill. President Trump opposed the bill because it includes provisions allowing military bases named after confederate military commanders to be renamed. He also objected to the bill because it calls for the withdrawal of US troops from Germany to be reconsidered. In a rare show of bi-partisan unity the US senate delivered the president a stinging rebuke, just weeks before he’s due to leave office. 81 Republican and Democrat votes were far more than the two-thirds majority needed to override the presidential veto. In response, Trump turned to Twitter saying the Senate had missed an opportunity. He said not passing the coronavirus aid bill was unfair and not smart.