Trump’s ‘Department of War’ Name Change Plan Hits Major Snag in GOP-Led House Committee

Sarah RumpfSep 9th, 2025, 8:24 pm
 
Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth

AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

President Donald Trump’s effort to rebrand the Department of Defense into the Department of War hit a major snag Tuesday when the GOP-controlled House Rules Committee rejected an amendment that would have codified the name change into law.

The proposed name change has been controversial, both for the multi-billion dollar expense and the massive administrative undertaking redesigning and relabeling seals, uniforms, stationery, logos, signage, insignia, and other graphics throughout the more than 700,000 DOD facilities throughout the U.S. and around the world.

Last week, Trump signed an executive order to change the name of the DOD to the Department of War, the original name for the Cabinet department when the U.S. Constitution came into effect. The National Security Act of 1947 had renamed the Department of War the Department of the Army, and merged it with the Department of the Navy and the Department of the Air Force under the auspices of the National Military Establishment (NME). Two years later, in 1949, the NME was renamed the DOD.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has been a vocal supporter of the change, and swiftly changed the social media accounts for his office to say “Department of War,” as did other Trump administration officials.

However, to actually officially change the name of this Cabinet department, Congress has to pass legislation.

An amendment to enact a name change was filed for the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, the annual budget and expenditures bill passed by Congress since 1961. The amendment’s House sponsor, Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL), called it “the right move” and said he was doing so specifically to “codify President Trump’s executive order.”

The amendment’s language was simple — replacing “Department of Defense” with “Department of War” and replacing “Secretary of Defense” with “Secretary of War” throughout the federal statutes — but it was still one of the causalities in the House Rules Committee meeting Tuesday. There were not enough votes on the Republican majority committee for the amendment to be included in the version of the bill that moves forward for debate and votes.

 

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Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law&Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Follow Sarah on Threads, Twitter, and Bluesky.