The Department of Homeland Security said Thursday that the Coast Guard will remove passages from its workplace harassment policy that reclassified swastikas and nooses as “potentially divisive.” The move follows bipartisan outrage and Senate holds on Adm. Kevin Lunday’s confirmation after the change took effect. Lunday issued a memo condemning both symbols, and Sen. Jacky Rosen said she would lift her hold on his nomination but place a hold on the CISA nominee pending implementation checks. Secretary Noem said the outdated pages will be removed but did not specify replacement language.
Coast Guard Will Remove ‘Potentially Divisive’ Language on Swastikas and Nooses, DHS Says
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Thursday that the U.S. Coast Guard will remove passages from its workplace harassment policy that reclassified swastikas and nooses as “potentially divisive” rather than explicit hate symbols.
Move Follows Bipartisan Outcry and Senate Holds
Noem made the announcement on social media after the Coast Guard quietly implemented the more lenient language earlier in the week, prompting objections from lawmakers. Two senators — Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) — placed holds on the nomination of Adm. Kevin Lunday to lead the service after the policy did not clearly label swastikas and nooses as hate symbols.
What Changed — And What the New Action Means
Under the disputed wording, swastikas and nooses were categorized as “potentially divisive,” meaning supervisors could review the context of such displays rather than requiring their immediate removal. Critics said that weakened guidance could allow hateful imagery to remain in the workplace depending on interpretation and implementation.
In response to the backlash, Adm. Kevin Lunday issued a memo to all Coast Guard personnel condemning both symbols and stating they are not permitted in the workplace. The memo said it supersedes prior guidance, but the directive apparently had not been incorporated into the official policy manual before the new wording took effect.
Noem: “The pages of superseded and outdated policy will be completely removed from the record.”
Noem did not say whether the removed passages will be replaced with specific new language. She defended the decision to purge the outdated pages as a way to prevent misrepresentation by press outlets, elected officials or others.
Political Fallout
The policy change drew bipartisan outrage on Capitol Hill. Sen. Duckworth called the “potentially divisive” label for a swastika or a noose “absurd” and said the removal of that characterization should be straightforward. Rosen said she would lift her hold on Lunday’s confirmation after seeing stronger language in the revised policy, but she announced a separate hold on Sean Plankey’s nomination to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) until she is satisfied with how the policy is implemented.
The Post’s November reporting that first highlighted the reclassification prompted public attention and debate; the Trump administration publicly criticized that reporting while the policy language was moving forward earlier in the week.
Updated: 4:36 p.m.
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