Warren’s plan to strip Confederate names from military bases sparks fiery debate between Republicans and Democrats

The Senate Armed Services Committee has approved an amendment aiming to remove Confederate names from military bases, prompting heated reactions from conservatives. Liberals, meanwhile, are celebrating the plan.

“As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I filed an amendment to the annual defense bill last week to rename all bases named for Confederate generals. It's long past time to end the tribute to white supremacy on our military installations,” Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) said of her amendment. 

If put into action, the measure would require that military bases rename all posts and assets – streets, equipment, etc. – which are named after Confederate officers or honor the Confederacy in any way. The bases would have three years to complete the task.

“Seriously failed presidential candidate, Senator Elizabeth ‘Pocahontas’ Warren, just introduced an Amendment on the renaming of many of our legendary Military Bases from which we trained to WIN two World Wars. Hopefully our great Republican Senators won’t fall for this!” President Donald Trump tweeted about the effort on Thursday.

Other conservatives have similarly expressed their opposition to the measure, which comes amid growing calls to take down historical monuments across the nation in the wake of the death of George Floyd. 

“Don’t try to change our history, explain it. The ups, the downs, the achievements, the failures, the triumphs, the obstacles, the scars, the battles, the peaks, and the valleys. ALL OF IT,” tweeted Fox News contributor Dan Bongino. 

Though Warren’s effort passed the Republican-led committee, some expressed opposition. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), for instance, slammed Warren’s plan as “historical revisionism.”

Warren, who has been floated as a possible vice-presidential pick for Joe Biden, has earned praise from her own side of the political aisle for leading the charge.

Warren’s measure comes just as protests across the nation targeting historical statues are flaring up. Confederate statues and monuments have found themselves in the hot seat again, with many prominent Democrats calling for their removal. 

The trend has grown in recent years, with states like Texas removing dozens of Confederate monuments since 2015, and over 100 total around the country being taken down, according to Southern Poverty Law Center.

Renaming military installations and assets could be a different story though. With opposition from the president and a long road ahead of it as part of the defense authorization bill, Warren’s amendment could very well get stalled, especially considering the heated and split rhetoric it has inspired from the top down. 

The defense authorization bill will need to push through the Senate and land on the desk of the president – and with Republicans digging their heels in and the president all but promising a veto, Warren’s effort may be earning her praises from her own side, but its ultimate success is far from assured.

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