The House appears poised to override President TrumpDonald TrumpNew York Post editorial board calls on President Trump to 'start thinking' about Georgia runoffs instead of overturning election Loeffler, Perdue praise Trump for signing COVID-19 relief legislation after uncertainty Trump signs .3T relief, spending package MOREs veto of the must-pass annual defense policy bill, a dramatic rebuke of Trump in the final days of his presidency.

House lawmakers will vote Monday on overriding Trumps rejection of the fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which passed both chambers of Congress with more than the two-thirds majority needed to overcome a veto.

Some Republicans have said they would sustain Trumps veto despite supporting the bill earlier this month. Still, dozens would need to flip their vote for the override to fail, and some Democrats who previously voted against the measure could switch their votes to override Trump.

Top House Democrats are projecting confidence they have the votes needed to deliver the first veto override since Trump took office.

The FY21 NDAA passed with overwhelming, veto-proof support in both the House and Senate, and I remain confident that Congress will override this harmful veto, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam SmithDavid (Adam) Adam SmithThe Grinch steals Joe Biden's Christmas Overnight Defense: Trump vetoes defense bill, setting up override vote | Trump raises objections to government funding, COVID-19 relief package | Trump offers Iran 'friendly health advice' as tensions heat up Trump vetoes defense bill, setting up potential override MORE (D-Wash.) said in a statement after Trump vetoed the measure on Wednesday. While the president may not care about our service members and their families, Congress still places an immense value on their service and sacrifice.

Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiTrump signs .3T relief, spending package New York Democratic Party chairman warns Ocasio-Cortez against challenging Schumer Incoming Democratic House members sidestep questions on voting for Pelosi as speaker MORE (D-Calif.), calling Trumps veto an act of staggering recklessness, said in her own statement the chamber will take up the veto override with bipartisan support.

Including this years defense bill, Trump has issued nine vetoes during his presidency.

Republicans have been largely reluctant to vote against Trump over the past four years. But Trump may have met his match in the NDAA, a bill he has never before vetoed.

Lawmakers are immensely proud of the bills 59-year streak of becoming law and do not want to be remembered as the Congress that failed to deliver. The $740 billion legislation authorizes funding for jobs, military bases and weapons manufacturers that affect nearly every congressional district and state. Troops would lose out on a host of special pay and bonuses without passage of the NDAA.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have also been stressing the importance of cybersecurity provisions in this years bill after a massive hack suspected to have been carried out by the Russians compromised myriad government systems at key agencies.

Weve just had one of the worst cyberattacks against us in our history. We experience threats from around the world every day. Our troops deserve a pay raise and it is our duty to keep America safe, tweeted Rep. Will HurdWilliam Ballard HurdLawmakers call for including creation of Latino, women's history museums in year-end spending deal House Republicans who didn't sign onto the Texas lawsuit Defense policy bill would create new cyber czar position MORE (R-Texas), who is retiring at the end of this Congress. Our goal was to rebuild our military and defend our nation. The NDAA does just that and it modernizes our forces. I will be supporting it again.

Trumps veto of the defense bill is just one of the ways he has thrown a wrench into the final days of this congressional session.

The president late Sunday signed a $2.3 trillion government funding and coronavirus relief package, but only after offering surprise objections a day after the measure negotiated by his administration was passed by the House and Senate.

He signed the bill a day after unemployment benefits extended by the measure ran out, but before a government shutdown would have been triggered on Tuesday.

Lawmakers in both parties had called for him to sign the measure, and Trump ultimately relented even while continuing to criticize it.

On the NDAA, Trump has offered several shifting explanations for his opposition. He first threatened to veto it over a requirement that Confederate-named military bases be renamed.

He then demanded lawmakers add a provision that would repeal an unrelated tech liability shield law from 1996 that he has been fixated on as Twitter appends corrective labels to his posts making unsubstantiated allegations of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

Trump has also complained the defense bill is weak on China, despite several provisions aimed directly at Beijing, such as the creation of a $2.2 billion fund specifically to counter China.

And he has lashed out at provisions designed to put up roadblocks over his orders to withdraw thousands of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and Germany.

My administration has taken strong actions to help keep our nation safe and support our service members. I will not approve this bill, which would put the interests of the Washington, D.C., establishment over those of the American people, Trump said last week in his veto message to Congress that also called the NDAA a gift to China and Russia.

Lawmakers in both parties had urged Trump publicly and privately not to veto the NDAA. They were also hoping a strong enough bipartisan vote would dissuade Trump from vetoing the bill, which passed the House in a 335-78 vote, followed by an 84-13 vote in the Senate.

After Trumps veto, Republicans were largely quiet.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthyKevin Owen McCarthyGrowing number of House Republicans warm to proxy voting GOP senator warns K checks can't pass, urges Trump to sign COVID deal House GOP rejects unanimous consent on ,000 direct payments MORE (R-Calif.) has previously said he would not override Trumps veto despite voting in favor of the bill. His No. 2, House Minority Whip Steve ScaliseStephen (Steve) Joseph ScaliseGOP puts pressure on Pelosi over Swalwell Top Republicans push back on changes to motions to recommit Top GOP lawmakers call for Swalwell to be removed from Intelligence Committee MORE (R-La.), voted against both the compromise bill this month and the initial House version in July.

But the No. 3 House Republican, Rep. Liz CheneyElizabeth (Liz) Lynn CheneyCongress barrels toward veto clash with Trump Top GOP lawmakers call for Swalwell to be removed from Intelligence Committee GOP leaders pinched by pro-Trump bid to reverse election outcome MORE (Wyo.), is urging her colleagues to override Trump.

Without timely passage of the FY2021 NDAA, thousands of military families will be forced to lose their hazardous duty pay during the holidays. Given the sacrifices they and their families make for the cause of freedom, our troops should never have their livelihoods threatened by political battles in Washington, D.C. In addition to hurting our troops, failing to pass the NDAA will have dire consequences for our national security, Cheney said in a statement after Trumps veto.

Congress must uphold its highest responsibility providing for the defense of this nation and ensure this bill becomes law, she added.

One wild card is the possibility that some House lawmakers might not return to Washington for Mondays vote, for various reasons. Some might not want to travel during the height of the pandemic or already have the coronavirus, while others might not feel compelled to come back for a single day because they are retiring or lost reelection.

Many Democrats have voted by proxy during the pandemic, but Republicans have largely opposed the practice. Overriding a veto requires two-thirds of those voting, not two-thirds of the entire chamber.

Rep. Rick LarsenRichard (Rick) Ray LarsenHouse Democratic Rep. Rick Larsen tests positive for COVID-19 House plans Dec. 28 vote to override Trump's possible defense bill veto Biden's Pentagon pick puts Democrats in a bind MORE (D-Wash.) said the possibility of absences coupled with the GOPs refusal to vote by proxy would help the House easily override Trumps veto.

"That's all to our advantage, Larsen, who recently tested positive for COVID-19, said last week.

The unusual post-Christmas session is necessary to meet a deadline to override the veto by noon on Jan. 3, when the 117th Congress starts. If lawmakers fail to override the veto before then, the new Congress would need to start from scratch on the bill.

A Democratic House aide previously told The Hill the lower chamber needs to send the veto message to the Senate by Tuesday to overcome any procedural hurdles in the upper chamber and finish by Jan. 3.

If the House fails to muster two-thirds support on Monday, the override effort dies.

But if the House successfully overrides Trump as expected, action then moves to the Senate, where any one senator who supports Trumps veto could drag out procedural hurdles by forcing a separate vote.

The Senate is planning to convene Tuesday to start the process if the House is successful on Monday.

Sen. Rand PaulRandal (Rand) Howard PaulFive GOP senators to watch in next month's Electoral College fight Meghan McCain says Merry Christmas to all except 'healthy people under 65' getting vaccine before front-line workers GOP Sen. Rick Scott, staff to wait to get COVID-19 vaccine MORE (R-Ky.), who briefly held up passage of the NDAA earlier this month, has indicated he could similarly delay an override vote.

I very much am opposed to the Afghan war, and Ive told them Ill come back to try to prevent them from easily overriding the presidents veto, Paul told reporters last week.

Senators have suggested the final override vote could happen the morning of Jan. 3, just hours before the new Congress is sworn in. Sen. John ThuneJohn Randolph ThuneFive GOP senators to watch in next month's Electoral College fight Trump criticizes Senate Republicans ahead of election results vote, urges a 'fight' Biden faces fight with Congress for more coronavirus relief MORE (S.D.), the No. 2 Senate Republican, warned last week it could take a "few days" for the Senate to jump through all the procedural hoops.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman James InhofeJames (Jim) Mountain InhofeTrump vetoes defense bill, setting up potential override Congress barrels toward veto clash with Trump Pompeo: Russia 'pretty clearly' behind massive cyberattack MORE (R-Okla.), who has been loyal to Trump on everything but this years NDAA, urged Congress to override the veto, saying troops shouldnt be denied what they need ever.

The NDAA has become law every year for 59 years straight because its absolutely vital to our national security and our troops. This year must not be an exception, Inhofe said in a statement after Trumps veto. I hope all of my colleagues in Congress will join me in making sure our troops have the resources and equipment they need to defend this nation.

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