The United States Coast Guard has removed controversial language from its official policy that described hate symbols like swastikas and nooses as "potentially divisive". The revision, confirmed on Thursday 18 December 2025, appears to conclude a series of contentious amendments that had sparked significant political backlash.
Political Pressure Forces Policy Revision
The policy change directly led Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen of Nevada to lift a hold she had placed on the nomination of Admiral Kevin Lunday for the position of Coast Guard commandant. Senator Rosen had taken this action because she believed Coast Guard leadership had "backtracked" on a prior commitment to explicitly prohibit such symbols.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose department oversees the Coast Guard, announced the update via social media. She stated the alterations were made to prevent anyone from "misrepresenting" the service's stance. "The pages of superseded and outdated policy will be completely removed from the record," Noem declared, adding this would stop entities from politicising the issue.
Nomination Hold Lifted After Clarification
Following the policy revision, Senator Rosen stated on social media on Thursday that she was withdrawing her block on Admiral Lunday's nomination. "I am pleased to see that the policy now directly refers to stronger language against swastikas and nooses," she remarked, while still expressing reservations about the confusing process undertaken by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Secretary Noem had earlier criticised the delay as a "politicised holdup," urging the Senate to confirm Lunday, a 39-year veteran of the service, without further delay. The initial policy draft, which emerged publicly last month, had stopped short of an outright ban on hate symbols. It instead suggested commanders could remove them from public view and exempted private areas like family housing.
The DHS has consistently asserted that there "was never a 'downgrade'" in the policy's intent. It argued the wording was intended to strengthen procedures for reporting and investigating violations. In a separate statement, the Coast Guard affirmed it "maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward hate symbols, extremist ideology, and any conduct that undermines our core values."
The latest developments in this policy saga were first reported by The Washington Post.
