Kaine Slams New Coast Guard Policy Downgrading Definition of Swastikas, Nooses

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement after the Coast Guard enacted a new policy calling swastikas and nooses 'potentially divisive'-a significant downgrade from their previous classification as hate symbols-in the Guard's workplace harassment guidance:

"This policy must be reversed immediately. Allowing racism and antisemitism to fester in our armed forces is wrong, harmful to our military readiness, and makes all of us less safe. Americans across the country were disgusted when news about this proposed change broke last month. I had hoped the Trump Administration was sufficiently shamed into backtracking when it called that reporting an 'absolute ludicrous lie and unequivocally false.' By moving forward with this absurdly dangerous policy, it's clear this Administration will stop at nothing to reach a new low."

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