Senate approves defense bill with provision to change names of Confederate bases

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A provision to rename military bases that are named after Confederate leaders has been included in the annual National Defense Authorization Act that the Senate passed on Thursday.

The bill, which passed 86-14, earned enough votes to override a veto President Trump has threatened amid the controversy over renaming the bases. The House earlier this week passed its own version of the defense bill earlier this week – also by a veto-proof margin.

Both chambers of Congress must now hash out a unified version of the bill and pass it again, which most likely will not occur until the fall.

SCHUMER: TRUMP WON'T VETO DEFENSE BILL OVER RENAMING MILITARY BASES

Congress has so far not had the votes to override any of Trump’s eight vetoes during his time in office. In the history of the country, only 111 pieces of legislation vetoed by a president have been overridden.

Amid the protests against systemic racism and unrest following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody in May, the country has gone through a reckoning over its history, its present-day policies and memorials to Confederate soldiers.

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At least 10 Army installations are named after Confederate military commanders, including Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Benning in Georgia and Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Previous calls to rename them have been dismissed on the grounds that doing so would go against tradition.

Trump has staunchly opposed the calls to rename the bases and said they erase the country’s history.

"I don’t care what the military says. I do – I’m supposed to make the decision," Trump said in an interview with Fox News' Chris Wallace that aired Sunday. "Fort Bragg is a big deal. We won two World Wars, nobody even knows General Bragg. We won two World Wars. Go to that community where Fort Bragg is, in a great state, I love that state, go to the community, say how do you like the idea of renaming Fort Bragg, and then what are we going to name it? We’re going to name it after the Reverend Al Sharpton?"

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Lawmakers from both parties have expressed skepticism over whether Trump would follow through with such a threat, given that the NDAA provides for pay raises for members of the armed services.

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“Let me predict that President Trump will not veto a bill that contains pay raises for our troops and crucial support for our military,” Senate Minority Leader Chuch Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor earlier this month.

During Sunday's interview, Trump said that servicemembers will "get their pay raise."

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Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman also remained confident that the president will sign.

"The President has made his position incredibly clear on this. And so from the department's perspective, we are confident that the administration and Congress will reach an agreement," Hoffman said. "They understand the importance of the NDAA. We’re confident that there will be an agreement and the NDAA will be signed and implemented on time so that we can have a budget for forces."