The House, led by Democrats, on Tuesday passed a lengthy $ 740 billion financing bill with a provision requiring the names of Confederate soldiers and leaders to be stripped of military bases.
The National Defense Authorization Act passed with a bipartisan majority from 295 to 125. The bill also includes a 3 percent pay increase for US troops.
He will now move to the Republican-controlled Senate for negotiations.
On Tuesday, President Trump threatened to veto the bill if it requires the Defense Department to remove Confederate names from military bases.
“Section 2829 is part of a sustained effort to erase from the history of the Nation those who do not meet an ever-changing standard of conduct,” the White House said in a statement lamenting a “left-wing cultural revolution.”
The names and statues of men who owned slaves or fought on the pro-slavery side of the Civil War have been the target of nationwide protests against police brutality and racism caused by the death of George Floyd on May 25.
The Senate will debate its own version of the NDAA this week. It also includes a plan to change the names of bases like Fort Bragg and Fort Benning, which honor the men who fought against US troops 155 years ago.
The White House also opposes provisions of the House bill that would reduce the use of funds in the war in Afghanistan and add controls on the deployment of National Guard troops in the states.
Some state and local leaders have opposed that troops have recently been deployed amid protests.
A Pentagon spokesman said he expected Congress, which approved the NDAA for 59 consecutive years, and the White House, to resolve their differences.
“They understand the importance of the NDAA, and we are confident that … the NDAA will be signed and implemented in time so that we can have a budget for our forces,” he said.
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