The White House threatened Tuesday to veto the annual defense policy legislation in part because it includes a provision that would order the Pentagon to rename the military bases that are currently named after the Confederate leaders.
The Office of Administration and Budget (OMB) released a statement hours before a House vote on the massive defense policy bill expressing “serious concerns” about the multiple provisions of the bill. The White House said that if the bill were presented to President Trump
Donald John Trump More than a dozen people injured in shootings near Chicago funeral home Players of the Cleveland Indians meet with team leaders to discuss the possible name change Pelosi calls the coronavirus the ‘Trump virus’ MORE In its current form, “his top advisers would recommend vetoing it.”
“The Administration strongly opposes section 2829, which would require changing the name of certain military institutions,” the statement read. “It also has serious concerns about the provisions of the bill that seek to micro-manage aspects of executive branch authority, impose very prescriptive limitations on the use of funds for Afghanistan, and otherwise limit the president’s authority to protect security interests. national”.
The White House said many of the provisions “would pose significant challenges” to the administration’s implementation of its national defense strategy.
Trump has previously voiced opposition to the name change of bases named in honor of Confederate leaders. – a position that put him at odds with Pentagon leaders, and has also advocated flying the Confederate flag as “freedom of expression.” Trump has described the bases named for Confederate leaders as part of American history.
The president threatened to veto the bill, formally known as the National Defense Authorization Law, in a tweet earlier this month. In an interview with Fox News over the weekend, Trump appeared to soften his position and said he “could” veto the law.
The statement released Tuesday describes the provision as “part of a sustained effort to erase from the nation’s history those who fail to meet an ever-changing standard of conduct,” pointing to ongoing efforts to rename or overthrow federal monuments and monuments. .
“President Trump has been clear in his opposition to politically motivated attempts like this to rewrite history and displace the enduring legacy of the American Revolution with a new leftist cultural revolution,” the OMB statement read.
There are 10 military bases around the United States, all located in the southern states, named after Confederate military officers: Fort Lee, Fort Hood, Fort Benning, Fort Gordon, Fort Bragg, Fort Polk, Fort Pickett, Fort AP Hill, Fort Rucker and Camp Beauregard.
The White House questioned several other provisions of the legislation, including one that would restrict Trump’s ability to withdraw US troops from Germany and another that would limit Trump’s efforts to reduce the United States’ military presence in Afghanistan.
The $ 740.5 billion House bill was unanimously approved by the House Armed Services Committee earlier this month. The veto threat came shortly before the full House voted on the bill on Tuesday afternoon. The measure is expected to pass.
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