President Donald Trump seeks to cement his racist legacy on his way out of the White House by vetoing the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a massive annual law on defense spending, simply because it is a popular, bipartisan provision governing Military bases were renamed after treacherous Confederate military leaders who fought against the federal government and shed American blood for the “right” to own, rape, torture, and kill black slaves.
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers in Congress approved the provision, as did former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, whom Trump sacked on November 9.
While some Trump loyalists, like Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe, a member of the Republican Senate Armed Forces Committee, said Trump’s threat should lead lawmakers to drop the provision, three dozen Senate Democrats recently wrote a letter urging it that the provision remains.
“Millions of colored soldiers have lived, trained, and deployed at facilities named in honor of traitors who killed Americans in defense of slavery,” the letter said. “The renaming of these bases is not disregarding our military – it recognizes the sacrifices and contributions of our soldiers in a way that better reflects the diversity and values of our nation. We know who these bases were named after and why they were named. It is long gone to correct this longstanding historical injustice. We must not shrink from our solemn duty in his moment. “
Trump’s veto may not matter anyway for two reasons: first, the bill could still go through Congress with veto-proof majorities, and second, Biden (who supports the renaming of the bases) could easily demand that the bases be renamed through an executive order as soon as he becomes President in January and is making the change much faster than Congress legislation would have done.
Oddly enough, the NDAA has been approved by Congress and the President every year for the past 50 years with no problem. Trump shows that he is ready to shoot himself, the military and veterans in the foot by vetoing the bill as its blockade essentially denies a raise in troops, prevents funding for women-specific uniforms and body armor and Funding to support the quality of life would end for service members and their families, including efforts this year to support education for special needs military children whose families have to move school districts frequently, ”according to NBC News.
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