Scoop: Democrats hit back at Hegseth on renaming Navy ships

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Axios

12 hours ago


House Democrats are introducing a bill that would block the U.S. Navy from renaming the USNS Harvey Milk and other ships named for civil rights figures, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The bill is a long shot, but it is the latest signal of growing animosity between congressional Democrats and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, driven in part by the Pentagon chief's anti-DEI crusade.

In addition to Milk, the two-page bill would stop the Navy from renaming ships named for Cesar Chavez, Medgar Evers, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Dolores Huerta, Thurgood Marshall, Lucy Stone and Harriet Tubman.

"Secretary Hegseth claims that this hateful move would return a 'warrior ethos' to the force, but renaming these ships won't help better train or equip a single servicemember," said Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.), who introduced the bill.

State of play: Hegseth last week ordered the Navy to rename the USNS Harvey Milk in a rare move.

Milk was a gay icon who served as a naval officer in the Korean War but was discharged due to his sexual orientation. He was shot and killed in 1978.

The Navy is also reportedly considering renaming several other ships that are named after the civil rights leaders mentioned in Peters' bill.

By the numbers: A dozen House Democrats, most notably former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who represents Milk's native San Francisco, have signed on to cosponsor the bill.

It has no Republican cosponsors, however, and with the GOP in control of both chambers of Congress, it is extremely unlikely to pass.

Democrats may try to roll the bill into a sweeping annual defense authorization package if they retake control of Congress in 2026.

Read more: https://www.axios.com/2025/06/13/harvey-milk-ship-navy-hegseth-renaming

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Link to draft BILL (PDF) - https://scottpeters.house.gov/_cache/files/4/8/4880ac51-e09a-4bd7-8aa5-15476701eda4/2E38DC7A15F7B31F025790F2C1254BEC564F267EA4252CB706A647E5CA4AA2EA.preserving-great-americans-legacies-text.pdf

[Walleye]

1. Warrior ethos? Such as sending the Marines to Los Angeles to stand in front of federal buildings.

Lord, deliver us from these insecure “macho” types

[jmowreader]

2. The Navy keeps incredible records

The reason there are gay communities in harbor towns like San Francisco and NYC is the Navy had the policy during World War II of taking gay sailors to the one closest to where the ship was at the time they were discovered and dishonorably discharging them. Using the precedent of Fort A.P. Hill, where they picked a soldier with a last name that starts with A, one that starts with P and one named Hill, choose ten gay WWII sailors whose names start with the letters in Harvey Milk and name the ship after them.

[Grins]

3. Tell me you hate women and people of color without exactly saying it!

47% of service members are people of color.
Add in women at 17% and you get 64%.
Add in a couple points for gays and, what? About 70% of the services are made up of people you hate.

Good luck in your recruiting.