US House committee votes to ban Confederate flag at Pentagon property

Washington, July 2 (IANS) The US House Armed Services Committee voted to approve an amendment to ban the public display of the Confederate battle flag on all Pentagon property.

The measure was approved without debate by voice vote as part of a package of noncontroversial amendments to the National Defence Authorization Act (NDAA), according to a report from The Hill, Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.

The amendment would ban the public display of the flag, including on bumper stickers and clothing, at all Defence Department property, including bases, workspaces and front porches of military housing, said the report.

However, the amendment would create exceptions for museums or other educational displays about the Civil War, state flags that incorporate the Confederate emblem, state-issued license plates and grave sites of Confederate soldiers, said the report.

The House panel is also expected to consider an amendment later Wednesday that would require the Pentagon to strip Confederate names from bases and other property within a year. President Donald Trump on Tuesday night vowed to veto the NDAA if it includes such a requirement.

The Senate’s NDAA version already includes a requirement to rename bases and other property within three years, said the The Hill report.

–IANS

rt/