U.S. Senate committee backs changing names of bases named after Confederates

FILE PHOTO: The U.S. Capitol Building as seen ahead of a vote on the coronavirus (COVID-19) relief bill on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 25, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Republican-led U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee approved an amendment that would require the Department of Defense to rename military bases named after Confederate generals, setting up a clash with President Donald Trump, who opposes that change.

The committee approved the measure, proposed by Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, an annual bill that sets policy for the Pentagon.

Trump on Wednesday ruled out renaming U.S. military bases that are named for Confederate leaders and has threatened to veto any legislation with such a requirement.

Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
source: reuters.com