Happy Monday and welcome to Overnight Defense. I’m Ellen Mitchell, and here is your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill, and beyond. CLICK HERE to subscribe to the newsletter.
THE TOPLINE: The Pentagon is working on a policy that would ban the display of Confederate flags at military bases, according to multiple reports Monday.
The draft policy, if applied, would ban the display of the flag in Department of Defense (DOD) workplaces or public areas by service members and civilian personnel, the Associated Press reported.
And CNN reported that military legal personnel are reviewing how such a ban can be carried out across the department, and that a decision will be made soon.
Pentagon officials declined to comment to The Hill on the draft.
Earlier: The possible directive comes later President Trump
Donald John Trump Trump’s second term plans remain a mystery to the Republican Party Trump to hold an outdoor rally in New Hampshire on Saturday Eighty-eight years of debt mercy MORE He previously criticized NASCAR on Twitter for its decision to ban the flag in its places, saying the move had led to lower ratings.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany repeatedly evaded questions about Trump’s tweet and said at a press conference Monday that the president was not “judging one way or another” whether NASCAR was wrong to ban the Confederate flag of your events.
Trump has also repeatedly championed the preservation of Confederate statues and has rejected the name change of military bases named for Confederate officers. He has threatened to veto a massive defense policy bill on the inclusion of a bipartisan amendment that would change the names of such facilities, although defense leaders have publicly supported such a change.
Policy details: Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthyRyan McCarthy ‘Core Legacy’, a useful concept for removing monuments and renaming bases and buildings Overnight Defense: Army to Drop Photos of Soldiers’ Records to Reduce Racial Bias | House defense bill backs pandemic preparedness fund B | Bill Targets Possible Army Troop Reductions To Leave Photos Of Soldiers’ Records To Quell Racial Bias MORE Late last month, he told reporters that top Pentagon leaders were working on a DOD policy for the Confederate symbols.
“Obviously, the Commander-in-Chief presented specific base-related guidance … looking at what the uniform policy is for Confederate symbols, we are working with the secretary of defense’s office on a policy related to that,” McCarthy said. said.
The draft DOD policy in question would establish a ban to preserve “our personnel’s morale, good order, and discipline within military ranks and unit cohesion,” the AP reported.
According to the draft, a “significant” number of service members and their families are minorities and “it is beyond doubt” that many “are seriously offended at such an exhibition.”
Authorities told AP that the draft was sent to service leaders last week for input and response.
A change in services: If implemented, the policy would follow the directives of the Marine Corps and the United States Forces of Korea, which have already banned the display of the Confederate battle flag. The Navy has also said it plans to do so.
Meanwhile, the Army has said it was open to rename its 10 named bases for the Confederates.
Meanwhile, in Congress: In Congress, the House Armed Services Committee last week approved an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to ban the display of the Confederate battle flag on all Pentagon properties.
The Senate NDAA version already includes a requirement to rename bases and other properties within three years.
And a House spending bill for military construction would block funding for projects on bases named by Confederate leaders unless the properties are in the process of being renamed.
The 2021 Fiscal Appropriations Bill for Military Construction and the Department of Veterans Affairs would prohibit funds from being spent on military construction projects “located in a military facility named after a Confederate officer, except in the case of that a process to replace these names has been carried out. started, “according to the draft text published by the House Appropriations Committee.
HOUSE EXPENDITURE PROPOSAL DIRECTS THE WALL, NUCLEAR ISSUES A House spending bill for military construction would prevent funds from going to Trump’s wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
The 2021 Fiscal Expenditure Bill for Military Construction and the Department of Veterans Affairs would prohibit appropriate military construction funds from FY 2016 from being used on barriers on the southern border and highways to access a barrier on the border , according to the draft text published by the Chamber Appropriations Committee.
It would also ban funding for projects that were delayed because Trump declared a national emergency and immersed himself in the military construction of the wall, according to the text.
The provision is included in a $ 250.9 billion spending bill that would award $ 10.1 billion to military construction in fiscal year 2021. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies will consider the bill on Monday night.
Separately, the House Appropriations Committee’s spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security would ban the construction of a border wall.
Background: Trump declared an emergency last year after a prolonged government shutdown over his request for border wall funding ended with Congress allocating less than he requested.
Since then, Trump has taken $ 3.6 billion from military construction to use on the wall. It has been dipped separately into other Pentagon accounts to move billions more to the department’s drug fund to use on the wall.
The moves have angered Democrats, and some Republicans, who say Trump is ignoring the power of the Congress purse. But legislative efforts to stop it have failed in the past.
Possible funding blocked for nuclear testing: Meanwhile, the House Appropriations Committee’s draft appropriations bill for the Department of Energy by 2021 would ban the funds from being used to conduct a nuclear test.
The bill would ban the use of funds to “conduct or prepare to conduct any performance-producing explosive nuclear weapons test,” according to the text released Monday.
“Critically, the bill would prevent the Trump administration from using funds to carry out its dangerous and short-sighted plan to resume nuclear tests,” said the committee chairwoman. Nita Lowey
Nita Sue Lowey New York City will not begin counting mailed ballots until next week. Progressives focus on another House Speaker in the primaries. (DN.Y.) said in a statement Monday.
Why was added: The provision was included in the panel’s energy spending bill after reports earlier this year that the Trump administration raised the possibility of resuming nuclear tests as a negotiating tactic against Moscow and Beijing.
The Trump administration is seeking a trilateral nuclear deal with Russia and China to replace the expiring new bilateral nuclear treaty START with Russia. But Beijing has repeatedly rejected the administration’s invitation to join the nuclear talks.
The Washington Post first reported in May that the idea of conducting the United States’ first nuclear test in decades came up at a meeting of senior officials on May 15. An official told the Post that the idea for a test is “largely an ongoing conversation,” while another official said the decision was made to avoid resuming the tests.
A practice retired a long time ago: The United States has not conducted an explosive nuclear test since 1992, verifying the effectiveness and reliability of its weapons with subcritical tests that do not produce nuclear performance, computer simulations, and other scientific methods.
The only country known to have conducted a nuclear test this century is North Korea.
The Trump administration, without evidence, has also accused Russia and China in recent months of conducting very low-performance tests.
A slippery slope: Opponents of the resumption of nuclear tests, including Democrats and arms control advocates, argue that a test by the United States would trigger nuclear tests in other countries and open the door to an arms race. They argue that an explosive would also be detrimental to human health and the environment without providing any benefit to the study of the US nuclear arsenal.
Last month, top House Democrats, including Lowey, sent a letter to the Pentagon and the Department of Energy calling for the idea of conducting an “unfathomable” nuclear test.
In the senate: Meanwhile, the Senate version of a defense policy bill would support preparations for a nuclear test.
An amendment to the Senate Armed Services Committee version of the National Defense Authorization Act offered by the Senator. Tom Cotton
Senator Tom Bryant CottonGOP calls the reports on Russia’s rewards “absolutely inaccurate” after the White House briefing. New legislation required to secure the leadership of the US semiconductors. (R-Ark.) It would make at least $ 10 million available to “carry out projects related to reducing the time required to run a nuclear test if necessary.” The amendment was approved on a 14-13 party line vote last month.
IN TAP FOR TOMORROW
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie
Robert Leon WilkieWilkie: The union exploiting the COVID-19 crisis to win Fauci contracts hints at a new approach to COVID-19 testing Why Veterans Affairs workers don’t trust the Trump administration MORE He will speak to journalists by phone at 9 am through the George Washington University Defense Writers Group.
ICYMI
– The Hill: Spending Bill Would Block Military Construction On Bases With Confederate Names
– The Hill: Russian Rewards Revive Trump-Republican Party’s Division of Foreign Policy
– The Hill: Vanessa Guillén’s family says the army has identified her remains
– The Hill: Ernst says Trump should sign defense policy bill with military base name change provision
– The Hill: United States Moves Forward with Taliban Peace Accord Despite Informed Participation in Rewarding US Troops
– The Hill: North Korea rejects the idea of more talks with the United States
– The Hill: Navy conducts exercises in the South China Sea during Chinese military exercises
– The Hill: Opinion: Military Madness in the COVID-19 Era
– The Hill: Opinion: POTUS was informed: Not paying attention is a different problem
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