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House and Senate Divide on Blocking Trump’s Confederate Base Name Reversals

A congressional conference committee is set to decide whether legislative measures can halt the Trump administration’s strategy of restoring Confederate-linked names.

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President Donald Trump and military leaders watch a demonstration by special operations soldiers at Fort Bragg, N.C., on June 10.
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Overview

  • The House Armed Services Committee approved Rep. Marilyn Strickland’s amendment to bar Pentagon funding for any Army base renamings in fiscal 2026 by a one-vote margin with Reps. Don Bacon and Derek Schmidt joining Democrats.
  • The Senate version of the bill enshrines the 2022 Military Naming Commission’s recommended changes and bans reversals of Confederate-linked names but applies only to Virginia installations.
  • President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have restored nine Army bases to their Confederate-linked names by attributing them to unrelated servicemembers to circumvent congressional mandates.
  • Supporters view the amendments as a defense of bipartisan racial justice reforms, while critics describe the White House’s attribution strategy as a political maneuver and morale play.
  • Lawmakers warn that a failure to reconcile the base naming provisions could delay passage of the fiscal 2026 defense authorization act.