Reps. Mfume, Bell, Strickland Lead 70+ Congresspeople in Efforts to Stop Navy from Renaming Ship Honoring War Hero to instead Honor Donald Trump

Image August 31, 2026 Press Release WASHINGTON, DC — Last week, Representatives Kweisi Mfume (D-MD-07), Wesley Bell (D-MO-01), Marilyn Strickland (D-WA-10), 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. The letter follows recent reporting that the U.S. Navy is considering renaming the USS Doris Miller in honor of President Trump. Doris Miller was a sailor aboard the USS West Virginia when Japan began its attack on Pearl Harbor who placed himself in harm's way to help save his fellow sailors. “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 Third 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 harms’ 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. In addition to co-leading this letter, Congressman Mfume has long led the congressional effort to secure federal recognition for Doris Miller. On March 25, 2025, National Medal of Honor Day, he introduced a pair of bills to honor Miller's heroism at Pearl Harbor: H.R. 2335 , which authorizes the President to award Doris Miller the Medal of Honor posthumously for acts of valor while serving in the Navy during World War II. The bill has 12 cosponsors and was referred to the House Committee on Armed Services. The Doris Miller Congressional Gold Medal Act (H.R. 2336) , which would posthumously award Miller the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress. If enacted, Miller's family would receive the medal and it would be displayed at the Smithsonian. The bill was referred to the Committees on Financial Services and House Administration. In introducing the bills, Congressman Mfume continued the work of the late Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, who fought since 2001 to see Miller awarded the Medal of Honor. The Medal of Honor legislation is endorsed by the National Association for Black Veterans (NABVETs) and the Dorie Miller Medal of Honor Committee. Congressman Mfume represents Maryland's Seventh Congressional District and serves as Ranking Member of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Government Operations. 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. Text of the letter can be viewed here . ###