June 10, 2020

Duckworth: “Despicable” for Trump to Threaten Troops’ Pay to Honor Confederate Traitors’ “Legacies”

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after Donald Trump tweeted a refusal to consider renaming U.S. military bases currently named after confederate leaders who took up arms against America to defend their ability to own, sell and kill Black Americans. The Senator’s response also comes shortly after the Trump White House threatened to veto a pay increase for our troops over this issue, despite Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy signaling that he would be open to discussions about renaming the offensively-named bases.

“It would be shameful enough for the current occupant of the Oval Office to refuse to even consider having the U.S. Military stop honoring traitors who took up arms against America to defend their ability to own, sell and kill Black Americans,” said Duckworth. “But for the Trump White House to threaten vetoing a pay raise for our troops over this is downright despicable.”

Senator Duckworth is a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee and a former Army Black Hawk pilot who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years. Earlier this week, Duckworth wrote to leaders of the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Coast Guard and National Guard Bureau to call on each of them to prohibit the display of the Confederate Battle Flag. Since her letter, the U.S. Navy has announced it will prohibit the Confederate Battle Flag from all public spaces and work areas.