GOP lawmakers move to officially rename Department of Defense as Department of War
The change is attached to the $1.15 trillion defense bill and still needs floor votes and reconciliation before becoming law.
- The Senate Armed Services Committee voted this week to advance legislation renaming the Pentagon to the War Department, moving the proposal one step closer to law by including it in the fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act.
- Following a September 2025 executive order from President Donald Trump, the House Armed Service Committee approved the legislative amendment one week ago, advancing it to the Senate.
- A Congressional Budget Office analysis released in January estimates the renaming could cost taxpayers between $10 million and $125 million, a figure critics call a costly vanity project.
- Citing the Middle East war, Senator Tim Kaine, D-Va., voted against the bill's advancement Thursday, calling the renaming 'illegal and foolish.'
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth praised the legislative progress, stating the War Department 'will officially be restored soon' as the measure proceeds toward potential enactment.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Letter: It's Department of Defense, not Department of War
To the editor, The Herald’s reference to the “Department of War” in a story about Cirrus Aircraft (6-10-2026) shows how some journalists capitulate to political forces, with the intent to please certain political factions. The “Department of War” is not the legally designated title of the Department of Defense. President Donald Trump, without authorization from Congress, signed an executive order allowing the Department of Defense (DoD) to use t…
Republicans in Congress want to officially rename the Pentagon as Department of War. An analysis.
Congress moves closer to renaming the Pentagon the Department of War
The Department of Defense moved one step closer to becoming the Department of War again after the Senate Armed Services Committee approved legislation to formally change the name. The agency was known as the War Department until Congress created the Department of Defense in the aftermath of World War II. President Donald Trump began using the War Department moniker last year in official communications and briefings, but the change was never for…
Republicans Push to Enshrine 'Department of War' Name in Defense Bill; Rebrand Could Cost Up to $125 Million
Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, called the proposal "one of the dumbest things that has been done by this administration"
GOP Lawmakers Push Ahead With 'Department of War' Name Change
Photo Credit: Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images Congressional Republicans are moving forward with the Department of War name change efforts. The Senate Armed Services Committee has voted to rename the Department of Defense. President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has long preferred the new moniker. GOP lawmakers vote in favor of Department of War name change This week, Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee vote…
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