Senate Republicans blocked an effort by Democrats Thursday to oppose Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s order to strip Harvey Milk’s name from a Navy oil ship.
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Thursday attempted to pass a resolution via unanimous consent that objected to the Pentagon’s directive to rename the ship but was blocked by Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.).
Milk, a gay rights activist, was a Navy lieutenant who served during the Korean War and in 1977 became the first openly gay man elected to public office in California. He was assassinated a year later.
“The Navy has seen fit to honor these civil rights icons – who spent their lives fighting for the rights of the American people – by naming ships in their honor. We learned this week, however, that the secretary of Defense does not share the view that these leaders are worthy of the honor of recognition that the Navy has bestowed upon them,” Schiff said on the floor.
“Today I offer a simple resolution,” Schiff said. “It says that the Senate believes that it is important and worthwhile to honor civil rights leaders by naming ships after them, and it expresses the Senate’s view that the Department of Defense should not seek to remove these names.”
Milk was forced to resign from the Navy and receive an other than honorable discharge. That was in place of a court-martial for being gay, which was a crime in the service at the time.
Budd pointed to “Naval custom and tradition” as a reason for his objection to Schiff’s push.
“Navy tradition, like the name of a ship, lives in the hearts and minds of every sailor, and these traditions are vital to preserving the moral and fighting spirit of our forces. Resetting the stage is not a political issue,” he said. “It’s bringing things back in line with Naval custom and tradition.”
“It will allow the Secretary of the Navy to consider the input of new ship plank owners so he can name this class of ships after the things that matter most to America’s sailors.”
The decision by the Pentagon came at the start of Pride Month, with Schiff noting that he suspects the timing is “no coincidence.”
