A provision to rename military bases named after Confederate leaders has been included in the annual National Defense Authorization Act that the Senate approved Thursday.
The bill, which passed 86-14, garnered enough votes to override a veto that President Trump has threatened amid controversy over the name change of the bases. The House earlier this week passed its own version of the defense bill earlier this week, also by a veto-proof margin.
Both houses of Congress must now draft a unified version of the bill and pass it again, which probably won’t happen until the fall.
SCHUMER: TRUMP NO VETO DEFENSE BILL ON RENAMING MILITARY BASES
So far, Congress has not had the votes to override any of Trump’s eight vetoes during his time in office. In the country’s history, only 111 laws vetoed by a president have been overturned.
Amid protests against systemic racism and riots following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody in May, the country has undergone an account of its history, current policies, and memorials to Confederate soldiers.
At least 10 Army facilities are named after Confederate military commanders, including Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Benning in Georgia, and Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Previous calls to rename them have been dismissed as being contrary to tradition.
Trump has strongly opposed calls to rename the bases, saying they erase the country’s history.
“I don’t care what the military says. Yes, I must make the decision,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News’ Chris Wallace that aired on Sunday. “Fort Bragg is a big problem. We won two world wars, nobody knows General Bragg. We won two world wars. Go to that community where Fort Bragg is, in a great state, I love that state, go to the community, say how he likes the idea of renaming Fort Bragg, and then how are we going to name it? Are we going to name it after the reverend Al Sharpton?
Lawmakers on both sides have expressed skepticism as to whether Trump would follow through on such a threat, given that the NDAA plans salary increases for members of the armed services.
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“Let me predict that President Trump will not veto a bill that contains wage increases for our troops and crucial support for our military,” Senate Minority Leader Chuch Schumer, DN.Y., said in the Senate to earlier this month.
During Sunday’s interview, Trump said service members “will get their pay raise.”
Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman also trusted that the president will sign.
“The President has made his position incredibly clear on this. And from the department’s perspective, we are confident that the administration and Congress will come to an agreement,” Hoffman said. “They understand the importance of the NDAA. We are confident that there will be an agreement and the NDAA will be signed and implemented in time so that we can have a budget for the forces.”
