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Trump: I'll veto defense bill to keep Confederate base names

Election 2020 Trump Fundraising
Posted at 11:22 AM, Jul 01, 2020
and last updated 2020-07-01 11:23:02-04

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is vowing to veto a massive defense bill to keep military bases such as Fort Bragg named after Confederate officers.

He's going against sentiment in his own party and imperiling a 3% pay raise for the troops.

Trump took to Twitter late Tuesday to threaten a veto of a $741 billion annual Pentagon authorization bill because it would require a host of military bases named after Confederate figures to be renamed within three years.

Trump rival and Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts won a bipartisan vote in a GOP-controlled panel to force the bases to be renamed.

It’s clear opponents of the idea don’t have the votes to remove it during floor debate.