Administration

Trump warns of defense bill veto over military base renaming amendment

by Marty Johnson

President Trump late Tuesday night signaled that he would veto the National Defense Authorization Act if it includes an amendment that would change the names of U.S. military bases that honor Confederate generals and soldiers.

“I will Veto the Defense Authorization Bill if the Elizabeth “Pocahontas” Warren  (of all people!) Amendment, which will lead to the renaming (plus other bad things!) of Fort Bragg, Fort Robert E. Lee, and many other Military Bases from which we won Two World Wars, is in the Bill!” Trump tweeted just before midnight.
 

 
The amendment to the annual defense bill was spearheaded by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and would see some bases stripped of their names within three years.

“Senate Democrats are putting forward legislation to change the names of our bases and other military assets … because we need to stop honoring this ugly legacy immediately,” Warren said in a statement last Wednesday.

Warren’s version of the bill has already been passed by the Senate Armed Services Committee.

In rebuttal, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced his own proposal to block Warren’s amendment.

“This latest effort to unilaterally rename bases and remove war memorials, all behind closed doors, smacks of the cancel culture the Left wants to impose on the nation,” Hawley said in a statement.

In recent weeks, protesters demanding the rooting out of systemic racism in the country have toppled statues of Confederate leaders nationwide.

Trump, meanwhile, has taken a staunch position against renaming the bases.

–Updated at 9:05 a.m.