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Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
'The law is the law': Va. senator rejects Trump move to rebrand Army posts to former names
Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine is rejecting what he calls the Trump Administration's "whim" to change the names of Fort Gregg-Adams and two other Virginia Army posts back to their original branding, saying he will continue to refer to the installations with their current names because "the law is the law." In a Zoom session June 11 with Virginia reporters, Kaine said he does not believe President Donald Trump has the authority to overturn congressional litigation that changed the names of Forts Lee, A.P. Hill and Pickett to Fort Gregg-Adams, Fort Walker and Fort Barfoot, respectively. The legislation, part of the unanimously passed 2020 Defense Authorization Bill, was vetoed by Trump in 2020 because of the removal of the names of Civil War Confederate heroes. Congress, however, overrode the veto, and the Biden Administration moved forward with the initiative. The new names went into effect in 2023 after a Pentagon-appointed Naming Commission vetted new brands that would reflect racial equality and inclusivity. 'The law is the law,' Kaine, D-Virginia, said in response to a question from The Progress-Index during the session. Kaine called the decision strictly partisan because Trump disagreed with the original decision. Kaine is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, which played a role in both the Defense Authorization Bill and the renaming issues. After Trump regained the White House last January, he vowed to reverse all efforts by his predecessor, Joe Biden, that promoted diversity, equality and inclusion, or DEI. One of those, he said, was the base renamings. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth – who Kaine called Trump's 'court jester' during his response – began the process of reinstalling the former names but insisted that the changes did not memorialize Confederates. The first two to change were Fort Bragg in North Carolina and Fort Benning in Georgia. But instead of honoring the former Confederate heroes they were originally named for, Hegseth said the new monikers honored U.S. military personnel who happed to have the same last name. More: Fort Liberty now Fort Bragg. What's the history behind the name and Hegseth's decision? More: Not that Benning: Hegseth renames Fort Moore, but not for Confederate general, he says 'The president can't change the law on a whim, and his court jester Pete Hegseth can't do it, either,' Kaine said. 'Pete Hegseth has so disgraced himself by the 'Signalgate' problem and other things that they just kind of put him off in a corner and said, 'Why don't you come up with cute Confederate-adjacent names?' And he's been scouring the record for other people named Lee or other people named Pickett he could change the name after.' Under the Defense directive, Fort Gregg-Adams would return to Fort Lee. But instead of former Confederate Army Commander Gen. Robert E. Lee, the name would recognize Private Fitz Lee, a 'Buffalo Soldier' from Dinwiddie County who received the Medal of Honor for bravery during the Spanish-American War at the end of the 19th Century. Fort Barfoot, the Blackstone-based headquarters of the Virginia National Guard, would go back to Fort Pickett in honor of First Lt. Vernon W. Pickett, a Distinguished Service Cross recipient in World War II. Fort Walker, in Caroline County north of Richmond, would go back to Fort A.P. Hill, but this time would be named for three Union soldiers whose last names start with "A" and "P" − Private. Bruce Anderson and First Sgt. Robert A. Pinn − and Lt. Col. Edward Hill. All three men received the Medal of Honor for bravery during the Civil War. More: Fort Gregg-Adams to be named Fort Lee once again, but this time honoring a different Lee 'It's an embarrassment for the secretary. It is an effort to devalue the work of the Naming Commission,' the senator said. 'It devalues the contributions of General Gregg and Colonel Adams ... Van Barfoot, the name that was assigned after a great deal of study to Fort Pickett ... Mary Walker, the name that was assigned after a great deal of study to Fort A.P. Hill. It devalues their contributions, but it also flies in the face of a congressional statute that, try though he might, the president was not able to stop.' Kaine continued to refer to the post as Fort Gregg-Adams, and he will be in town June 13 for two ceremonies reopening the post's drop zone on River Road and the realignment of the post's borders to offer unfettered public access to visitors of its museums. 'I'm going to be at Fort Gregg-Adams on Friday, and I plan to talk about why the name of the fort is still 'Fort Gregg-Adams,'' Kaine said. 'Everybody that has taken an oath to uphold the Constitution cannot just get in line and follow an unlawful declaration by the secretary of Defense which in no way trumps statute.' Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@ or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI. This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Kaine dismisses Trump decision to change name of Fort Gregg-Adams
USA Today
30-01-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
McClellan: 'Outrageous' for Trump to blame DEI policies for fatal air crash
McClellan: 'Outrageous' for Trump to blame DEI policies for fatal air crash Show Caption Hide Caption Plane crash condolences from Donald Trump turn to blame DEI hiring A press conference offering sympathy to those impacted by the American Airlines plane crash quickly turned political. Rep. Jennifer McClellan criticizes President Trump for blaming diversity policies for a plane crash that killed 67 people. Trump claims his predecessors' focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion over merit in hiring practices, including for air-traffic controllers, contributed to the accident. McClellan calls Trump's claims irresponsible and a disservice to the victims, urging him to focus on supporting recovery efforts and unifying the nation. Other Democratic leaders, including Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, condemn Trump's politicization of the tragedy and emphasize the need for a thorough investigation. PETERSBURG – Rep. Jennifer McClellan is calling President Donald Trump's claims that his predecessors' diversity policies are to blame in part for Wednesday night's crash between a commercial jet and an Army helicopter that killed 67 people "outrageous," accusing Trump of using DEI as a scapegoat to push partisan policies through. 'I think it's outrageous to make a statement like that while authorities are still pulling remains from the [Potomac] river,' McClellan, D-Virginia, told The Progress-Index in a phone interview Thursday afternoon. McClellan, the first Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress, said the focus should be on supporting the recovery efforts 'and not blaming Black people and women.' Wednesday night, an Army Black Hawk helicopter stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, collided mid-air with an American Airlines jet landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The crash sent both aircraft into the icy Potomac River. All 67 passengers on both the helicopter and the flight from Wichita, Kansas, are believed dead. USA TODAY reported Thursday that Trump, speaking to reporters in the White House on the tragedy, blamed without corroboration the Democratic administrations of Barack Obama – the person Trump followed into the White House in 2017 – and Joe Biden for promoting diversity, equality and inclusion practices over merit across civil service, including air-traffic controllers. In his first term, Trump claimed he undid Obama policies to allow 'only the highest aptitude, the highest intellect, and psychologically superior people' to qualify for air-traffic controller positions. "I always felt that this was a job that had to have superior intelligence,' Trump told reporters. Asked to back up his statements with proof, the president responded, 'I have common sense.' 'It's irresponsible to blame anything or anyone right now,' McClellan said. 'That does a disservice to the lives that were lost.' McClellan: Questioned his capability 'for the past nine years' Since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump has targeted DEI in many of the executive orders he has issued to reverse what previous presidents have done. On Thursday, the White House released a copy of Trump's latest order directing the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration to review all hiring decisions and safety protocol changes during Biden's term of office and take 'corrective action as necessary to achieve uncompromised aviation safety, including the replacement of any individuals who do not meet qualification standards.' Instead of 'placating to his political base,' McClellan said Trump should seize on the opportunity to unify the nation behind the victims, their families and the recovery operations. During national tragedies, the president is often referred to as the 'Comforter-in-Chief" since people tend to look to Washington for words of comfort. Asked if she thinks Trump is using DEI as a scapegoat for not only Wednesday's crash but also his other executive orders, McClellan replied, 'He is.' McClellan was in her district Wednesday, but said she planned to return to Washington Thursday night and hoped to get a chance to see the crash site for herself. 'Our focus should be on doing our jobs though this tragedy,' she said. 'We need to be making sure we do everything to stop this president from hurting our constituents.' Asked if his latest comments raise red flags about Trump's mental capacity to serve as president, she said yes, but that could come at a later time. 'I've been raising questions about his capability for nine years now,' she said. Fellow Democrats join in Reagan Airport crash: Air traffic control audio surrounding crash Hear some of the air traffic control communications surrounding the deadly crash at Reagan National Airport. Some of McClellan's Democratic colleagues in Virginia also weighed in on Trump's claims. Sen. Mark Warner called it 'unfortunately typical' of the president to pull politics into the issue. 'President Trump's first response to this tragedy is to hurl baseless attacks, rather than focus on the investigation at hand,' Warner said in a statement to The Progress-Index. 'I'm continuing to think of the 67 lives lost last night and am working to get to the bottom of how this happened, and how we prevent a similar situation from occurring in the future.' Warner and fellow Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine visited the crash site Thursday morning. In his own statement to The Progress-Index, Kaine said his thoughts are on the families of the victims. 'President Trump's attempt to politicize the tragedy, with no facts to back up his claims, could not have been more insensitive to suffering families still awaiting the recovery of their loved ones,' Kaine said. Governor: 'State of shock' In an interview on Fox News, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Thursday he had spoken with Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, and 'she, like me, was in a state of shock' over the crash. 'The connectivity between Wichita and D.C. is about a lot more than flight travel,' Youngkin said, adding it builds 'bonds between communities. 'We will be grieving with these families together,' he said. In a post on his private account on X, formerly Twitter, Youngkin asked Virginians to 'pray for [the families], support them, and ensure they know they are not alone in this terrible tragedy.' Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@ or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI.
