President Donald Trump’s push to rename the Department of Defense the Department of War hit a snag this week when a congressional committee rejected the change.
Trump made the announcement last week when he signed an executive order, which he said was meant to indicate that the United States has “the strongest military.” But officially changing the name of the department that runs the United States military requires an act of Congress.
The House Rules Committee, which governs what legislation can go to the House floor, convened Tuesday to focus on the National Defense Authorization Act for the 2026 fiscal year. The NDAA is must-pass legislation that determines how money for the Pentagon will be spent.
Republicans Reps. Greg Steube of Florida, Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, Trent Kelly of Mississippi, Andy Ogles of Tennessee, Barry Moore of Alabama and Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin proposed an amendment that would require the Department of Defense to be renamed and “in all regulations and requires the title of Secretary of Defense to be renamed as ‘Secretary of War.’”
But the amendment was ultimately not adopted.
Democrats also sought to include an amendment that would force the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the late disgraced convicted sex offender.
In July, House Speaker Mike Johnson sent the House of Representatives home early for the August recess because Democrats on the Rules Committee kept pushing to release files related to Epstein. Trump’s handling of the investigation and decision not to release any more information was met with fury from both sides of the political aisle. Many have called for Trump to release more information and some lawmakers have proposed bills to require the disclosure.
“We are subject to it because it's our job to make sure we bring this stuff to life,” Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) on the committee said.
But the amendment failed, with Republicans criticizing Democrats for not bringing up the files during Joe Biden’s presidency and when Democrats controlled the House.
In addition, another amendment that would have extended the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa program for Afghans who assisted U.S. service members. But Republicans rejected that call.
“You left them, not only that, you left the equipment to the enemy,” Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), a member of the committee sad. “So again, this amendment falls on deaf ears.”
In addition, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) said he worried about vetting of Afghan refugees.
“This ought to be debated as part of the larger immigration debate, and not associated with NDAA,” he said.
The House and Senate have to finish passing the NDAA by the end of the year to keep the Pentagon running. As of right now, the name of the Department of War remains just a Trump desired name change.
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