U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday vetoed a major defense bill that contains restrictions against reducing U.S. troops in South Korea and other countries.

The National Defense Authorization Act(NDAA) passed both the Republican-led Senate and Democratic-majority House with overwhelming votes earlier this month.
   
In a message to the House of Representatives, Trump said that he was returning the bill without his approval, calling the bill's measures to limit troop withdrawals "unconstitutional."

In the message released by the White House, Trump said that the Act fails to include critical national security measures and includes provisions that fail to respect U.S. veterans and its military's history.

He added that the Act contradicts efforts by his administration to put America first in its national security and foreign policy actions, calling it a "gift to China and Russia."

Trump has been threatening to veto the 740-billion dollar annual defense bill, taking issue with provisions that limit troop withdrawals from South Korea, Afghanistan and Europe and remove Confederate leaders' names from military bases.