Sen. Josh Hawley is pushing to reverse a proposal that has won bipartisan support that would force the Department of Defense to rename military bases named after Confederate figures.
Hawley, a Missouri Republican, on Wednesday introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act covering Confederate names for military bases, which would undo one passed two weeks ago by the Senate Armed Services Committee at the behest of Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts.
Warren’s measure would require that all military bases referencing Confederate officers be renamed. Hawley’s proposal would abolish that mandate and instead create a commission to hold public hearings, collect recommendations from military families and veterans, and work with state and local communities to make a proposal.
“This latest effort to unilaterally rename bases and remove war memorials, all behind closed doors, smacks of the cancel culture the Left wants to impose on the nation,” Hawley said in a statement. “Any discussion about renaming bases should be had in the light of day, out in the open, and it should involve military families, veterans, and state and local stakeholders. That’s what my amendment would do.”
The tussle over Confederate names on military bases — there are 10 in all — comes amid widespread protests over George Floyd’s death in the custody of Minneapolis police. Protests, which have included some looting and violence, have spread to the demolition of statues of Confederate figures by left-wing activists.
Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy proposed an amendment to the NDAA last week substituting Warren’s amendment to rename military bases with his own that would rename all military installations after Medal of Honor winners.
“I do not think that the attitudes that we’ve been discussing about — racial discrimination and anti-Semitism, misogyny — are limited only to the South,” he said.
