The Seattle Medium | Strickland Leads Effort To Block Return Of Confederate Names To Military Bases
By: Aaron Allen
Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) is leading the latest charge in an ongoing battle over the naming of U.S. military bases, introducing a bipartisan amendment to prevent the Department of Defense from using federal funds to restore Confederate names to military assets. Strickland’s action comes as the Trump administration attempts to roll back previous renaming efforts aimed at promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“The President and Speaker Johnson were willing to reject the defense bill if it included my bipartisan amendment to remove Confederate names from military bases,” said Strickland. “Republican leadership and the White House like to call themselves the ‘party of Lincoln,’ but prefer to honor racist, Confederate traitors who fought to protect the institution of slavery.”
A House committee recently passed Strickland’s amendment to the annual defense policy bill, which bars the Pentagon from using next year’s defense budget to rename installations in honor of Confederate figures. The vote was narrow, with only two Republicans –Rep. Derek Schmidt of Kansas and Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska — joining Democrats in support. The amendment directly responds to efforts by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to reintroduce the original, Confederate-inspired names as part of a broader opposition to diversity and inclusion policies in the military.
“This is an insult to the African Americans who wear the uniform, and the 40 percent of enlisted servicemembers who are minorities,” said Strickland.
For decades, lawmakers and communities have debated the significance of Confederate names on military bases, with growing public sentiment calling for change. Originally named during post-Civil War reconciliation, these bases reflect a legacy that critics say continues to symbolize racism and oppression. Legislative proposals over the years have sought to align military honors with modern values, and the Department of Defense has previously expressed support for renaming as part of its commitment to diversity.
Strickland said the policy is especially important given her role on the House Armed Services Committee.
“I always thought this was important,” said Strickland. “As someone who is a part of the House Armed Services Committee, one of a handful of African Americans, we’ve had very lively debates and conversations about the defense bill, and it had bipartisan support coming out of committee.”
This is not the first time Trump has attempted to reinstate Confederate base names. During his first term, similar proposals were made.
“Five years ago, the renaming happened and the president vetoed the defense bill because of renaming the bases away from Confederate traitors who wanted to uphold the institution of slavery,” said Strickland.
Now that Trump is back in office, he is once again trying to reinstate the names of bases that many feel are inappropriate for the time.
“So, Trump is back again, and he and his Secretary of Defense decided that they want to revert back to the Confederate base names, and we introduced an amendment that basically said we’re not doing that,” said Strickland.