Scoop: Democrats hit back at Hegseth on renaming Navy ships

• In addition to Milk, the two-page bill would stop the Navy from renaming ships named for Cesar Chavez, Medgar Evers, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Dolores Huerta, Thurgood Marshall, Lucy Stone and Harriet Tubman.
• "Secretary Hegseth claims that this hateful move would return a 'warrior ethos' to the force, but renaming these ships won't help better train or equip a single servicemember," said Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.), who introduced the bill.

State of play: Hegseth last week ordered the Navy to rename the USNS Harvey Milk in a rare move.

• Milk was a gay icon who served as a naval officer in the Korean War but was discharged due to his sexual orientation. He was shot and killed in 1978.
• The Navy is also reportedly considering renaming several other ships that are named after the civil rights leaders mentioned in Peters' bill.

By the numbers: A dozen House Democrats, most notably former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who represents Milk's native San Francisco, have signed on to cosponsor the bill.

• It has no Republican cosponsors, however, and with the GOP in control of both chambers of Congress, it is extremely unlikely to pass.

• Democrats may try to roll the bill into a sweeping annual defense authorization package if they retake control of Congress in 2026.

Zoom out: Democrats and Hegseth are engaged in an escalating war of words, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) having called on the defense secretary to be fired over Signalgate.

• During a House Committee on Armed Services hearing on Thursday, Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) told Hegseth to "get the hell out" of the Defense Department.
• "You're an embarrassment to this country," Carbajal replied after Hegseth dismissed his question about whether political allegiance to Trump is a requirement to serve in the military as "silly."