Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s controversial renaming of military bases after Confederate leaders is under scrutiny by representatives in Congress. Here are some excerpts from today’s Washington Post:
“Congress is inching toward a bipartisan agreement to reverse the Trump administration’s recent renaming of several Army bases across the southern United States that had long been politically controversial for honoring Confederate leaders.
The Pentagon did away with those changes earlier this year.
The Senate’s defense policy bill, which has not come up for a vote, would overrule Hegseth only for the three bases in Virginia, though the two Democratic senators from Georgia are offering an amendment that would add the two bases in their state. The Senate could pass its bill in the coming week or skip the vote and immediately start work with the House on a compromise version, leading to final votes later this year.
Supporters of the effort hope that the names of at least some of the nine Army posts will be restored to those recommended by the bipartisan congressional commission charged with identifying all military assets, even the names of building and roadways, associated with the Confederacy. Democrats and some supportive Republicans said they are cautiously optimistic.
“I think it is likely that some of the names change or change back,” said Rep. Austin Scott (R-Georgia), who served on the commission that helped rename the bases, a process that concluded in 2023.
Kingsley Wilson, the Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement that the base names “should have never been changed in the first place,” and she criticized the Biden administration for carrying out the changes recommended by the congressional panel.
“Here at the Pentagon,” Wilson added, “we honor our American history and traditions, we don’t erase it.”
In 2020, during the closing days of his first term, President Donald Trump vetoed the annual defense policy bill — citing, in part, his rejection of the renaming effort. “I have been clear in my opposition to politically motivated attempts like this to wash away history,” he explained to lawmakers then. Congress, in a display of bipartisanship, overrode his veto.
Hegseth’s move to rename the bases was part of an expansive push by his team to stifle diversity efforts across the Defense Department. He also has overseen the firing of numerous top military leaders, including a disproportionate number of women and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who is Black, accusing some of being too focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.”
