The measure would initiate a process that would force the Pentagon to clear names, monuments and paraphernalia in honor of the Confederacy and its leaders from active military bases for the next three years. The House defense law passed Tuesday would force the name change of the bases within a year.
The effort, sponsored by former presidential candidate, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Democrat of Massachusetts), comes amid protests over systemic racism and political brutality across the country. Ten Army bases are named after the Confederate military leaders.
Trump has said that his administration will not consider changing the name of the bases, labeling it as an attempt to rewrite the history of the United States, contradicting Pentagon leaders who have said that the names of the bases should be revised. The president also warned that he would veto defense legislation that would change the name of the bases.
But with similar name change provisions in both bills, Trump is likely to receive bipartisan defense legislation that forces the problem.
Senator Tim Kaine (Democrat of Virginia), whose state is home to three Army bases named after the Confederates, defended the proposal in the Senate on Wednesday. He argued that the proposal was revised to accommodate both Republicans and Democrats and allow input from communities.
“Do you really expect us to believe that a society that continues to honor those who tried to destroy our country to save slavery will take seriously the end to the racial disparities that exist today?” Kaine said.
The measure was adopted by voice vote during the marking of the Armed Services Committee last month, although not all senators agreed with the measure. Senate Armed Services President Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) Expressed dismay at the provision after its adoption, arguing that local communities should have power to stop decisions to rename federal facilities. .
Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Who opposed the provision in committee, introduced an amendment that would have undone the provision. But the amendment received no vote in the Senate.
An amendment by Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) was also left on the courtroom floor to hinder Trump’s plans to reduce US troop levels in Germany. Romney tried to secure a last-second vote on the measure on Thursday afternoon, but was rejected by Inhofe.
A bipartisan provision similar to the House bill was adopted amid bipartisan concerns that such a move would undermine NATO and embolden Russia. But the administration’s plan would probably send some of them to other parts of Europe. Inhofe came out in support of the plan on Wednesday after receiving a briefing by senior Pentagon officials.
Ahead of Thursday’s vote, Inhofe praised the bill as a bipartisan product of unprecedented member contributions.
“The way we win against our opponents is by making sure that the fights never start by sending a strong message that you can’t win. Don’t even try,” Inhofe said. “That is what we were doing in this bill.”
Before a final vote, the senators firmly rejected a progressive effort to cut defense spending on Wednesday. An amendment by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) To cut the top line of the bill by 10 percent was rejected by a vote of 23-77.
In total, the legislation would authorize $ 740.5 billion in national defense funds for fiscal year 2021. Within that total, $ 636.4 billion is authorized for the Pentagon’s base budget and $ 69 billion is dedicated to the war bill. separate from the Pentagon. An additional $ 25.9 billion is authorized for national security and nuclear weapons programs under the Department of Energy.
The Senate Armed Services Committee set aside $ 1.4 billion for the upcoming fiscal year for a new Pacific Deterrence Initiative, a priority for both sides with the goal of reinforcing the U.S. military stance in the region and deterring China’s goals there. .
Senators allocated $ 9.1 billion in the bill to purchase 91 F-35 fighters built by Lockheed Martin, 14 more than requested by the Pentagon.
The legislation authorizes $ 21.3 billion for the Navy to build seven warships, an increase of $ 1.4 billion at the request of the administration.
The measure also supports a 3 percent pay rise for troops, even with the Pentagon’s request and what House lawmakers approved.
