Bell, Strickland, Mfume Lead 70+ Members in Effort to Stop Navy from Renaming Ship Honoring Black War Hero in Honor of President Trump

The letter comes following recent news(link is external) that the U.S. Navy is considering renaming the USS Doris Miller in honor of the president

Doris Miller was a sailor aboard the USS West Virginia when Japan began its attack on Pearl Harbor who put himself in harm's way to help save his fellow wounded sailors

The letter was signed by 73 members, including Ranking Member Adam Smith and 24 Members from the House Armed Services Committee

Washington, D.C. - Today, Representatives Wesley Bell (D-MO-01), Marilyn Strickland (D-WA-10), and Kweisi Mfume (D-MD-07) led over 70 of their Democratic House colleagues in an effort pressing Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao to keep the name of the USS Doris Miller as is.

"Renaming this ship after a sitting President would be unprecedented and break longstanding tradition," wrote the Representatives. "Most importantly, this would diminish the recognition of one of our country's greatest military heroes. It was during President Trump's first term that the Navy announced CVN-81 would bear Doris Miller's name. Reversing that decision now would be a significant step backward in honoring the courage and sacrifice of those who have served our country."

News broke last week about the Navy potentially renaming its ship, CVN-81, to honor Trump. During the president's first term, the Navy had announced that CVN-81 would bear Doris Miller's name, making it the first aircraft carrier to be named for an African American, as well as the first named in honor of an enlisted sailor.

Doris 'Dorie' Miller was serving aboard the USS West Virginia on December 7, 1941, when Japan began its attack. At the time, Miller was a Mess Attendant Second Class, and after his station came under fire, he took control of an anti-aircraft gun and fired at incoming aircraft. Even as the ship sank, he kept fighting until he ran out of ammunition, and assisted his fellow wounded sailors to reach safety.

"Doris Miller's story is one of extraordinary bravery, service, and pure patriotism," the Representatives continued. "When he served, segregation restricted the roles available to Black sailors and servicemembers. Yet, when his country came under attack, Miller did not hesitate to put himself in harm's way to defend his fellow sailors and his nation. This story embodies the finest traditions of the United States Armed Forces."

"There has never been a time when we have named a warship after a sitting president. Changing course and now to satisfy a sitting President's ego, especially one who dodged service to his country, would be shamefully wrong. We urge you to reject this plan and ensure that CVN-81 bears the name USS Doris Miller. Our Navy must continue honoring the courage of those that answered their country's call to service," the lawmakers concluded.

Congressman Bell is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and has fought to protect the rights of our servicemembers, past, present, and future. Recently, he led a letter (link is external)calling on Secretary Cao to disclose information about the conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln amidst concerns of crew well-being while deployed in the Middle East for the Iran War. He also led a letter calling on the Department of Defense to take measures to protect the well-being of crew members aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford.

The letter was signed by: Reps. Gabe Amo, Yassamin Ansari, Joyce Beatty, Julia Brownley, Nikki Budzinski, Salud Carbajal, André Carson, Troy Carter, Ed Case, Joaquin Castro, Gilbert Cisneros, Emanuel Cleaver, Steve Cohen, Herb Conaway, Joe Courtney, Jason Crow, Diana DeGette, Christopher Deluzio, Mark DeSaulnier, Debbie Dingell, Sarah Elfreth, Dwight Evans, Shomari Figures, John Garamendi, Daniel Goldman, Maggie Goodlander, Josh Gottheimer, Steven Horsford, Chrissy Houlahan, Glenn Ivey, Sara Jacobs, Jonathan Jackson, William Keating, Timothy Kennedy, Ro Khanna, Greg Landsman, Stephen Lynch, April McClain Delaney, Jennifer McClellan, Christian Menefee, Dave Min, Gwen Moore, Seth Moulton, Jerrold Nadler, Donald Norcross, Eleanor Norton, Frank Pallone, Scott Peters, Brittany Pettersen, Mike Quigley, Patrick Ryan, Bradley Schneider, Robert Scott, Terri Sewell, Adam Smith, Eric Sorensen, Suhas Subramanyam, Shri Thanedar, Bennie Thompson, Dina Titus, Jill Tokuda, Ritchie Torres, Derek Tran, Gabe Vasquez, Marc Veasey, Eugene Vindman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Maxine Waters, George Whitesides, Frederica Wilson.

The letter text can be viewed HERE.

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Wesley Bell is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's First Congressional District, which includes St. Louis City and a portion of St. Louis County. He is a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, House Armed Services Committee, and House Foreign Affairs Committee.