Representative Don Bacon, a Republican, had a blunt message for President Trump when a White House aide called him personally early this month and asked that he abandon legislation to strip the names of Confederate leaders from military bases.
“You’re wrong — you need to change,” Mr. Bacon, a second-term Nebraskan and former Air Force brigadier general, told the official, he said in an interview. “We’re the party of Lincoln, the party of emancipation; we’re not the party of Jim Crow. We should be on the right side of this issue.”…
The disconnect has raised the prospect of a rare, election-year clash between congressional Republicans and Mr. Trump on the military bill, the measure that authorizes pay raises for American troops and is regarded as must-pass legislation. Despite the president’s unapologetic stance, most Republicans have been unwilling to defend symbols of the Confederacy, and some have warned the president not to force the first veto override of his presidency.
The House voted on Monday to begin consideration of the bill and is expected to pass it this week, as the Senate debates a similar measure slated to be approved next week.
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