'I want no part of that': GOP lawmakers join Dems in effort to derail Pete Hegseth plan

Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers are “cautiously optimistic” that they will be able to stick a knife in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s base renaming binge and force the Pentagon to erase some of the changes he has already made.

According to a report from the Washington Post, the National Defense Authorization Act, which was passed by the Republican majority House last week, contains an amendment that, if not excised by the Senate, would halt him from renaming bases after members of the Confederacy who fought to maintain slavery.

Should the Senate agree, Hegseth would be handcuffed going forward, the Post reported.

“The Senate’s defense policy bill, which has not come up for a vote, would overrule Hegseth only for the three bases in Virginia, though the two Democratic senators from Georgia are offering an amendment that would add the two bases in their state,” the Post is reporting. “Supporters of the effort hope that the names of at least some of the nine Army posts will be restored to those recommended by the bipartisan congressional commission charged with identifying all military assets.”

During the summer, Hegseth was questioned about the name change and told senators, “This is about restoring all bases to their original names because we’re not about erasing history.”

Undeterred, the amendment was added to the bill by Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-WA) who admitted that she was surprised it survived a House vote.

Along with Rep.Derek Schmidt (R-KS), Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon (R) also balked at bringing back the name of those who fought against the union while serving in the Confederate army.

“They were bad generals. They were traitors to the country,” he bluntly stated. “I want no part of that.”