Fact Check: Did Pete Hegseth remove Colin Powell’s name from Arlington Cemetery?

WASHINGTON, DC: A rumor has been circulating on social media platforms claiming that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed former Secretary of State Colin Powell's name from the list of notable Americans buried at Arlington Cemetery. The claim has sparked criticism and concern among online users, who are also calling for a fact-check.

Claim: Pete Hegseth removed Colin Powell's name from Arlington Cemetery

A viral X post claims Hegseth removed Colin Powell’s name from a list of notable Americans buried at Arlington Cemetery. 

It further claims that Hegseth also removed the names of every person of color and every woman on the same list, and only white men were left in place. 

The claim drew massive backlash from online users who criticized Hegseth, who expressed concern over the alleged move. Many believed the claim is true, while a few others dismissed it as fake and called for a fact check.

Fact Check: False; cemetery website still features Colin Powell's name

The claim, however, is false, as Hegseth has not removed Powell’s name from the list of notable Americans buried at Arlington Cemetery. But the site has removed race and gender categories and reassigned profiles. 

As of this writing, the cemetery website's page titled "prominent military figures" still featured a brief biography describing Powell's military service, in which he achieved the rank of a four-star Army general. 

However, sometime between late February and early March 2025, people with access to edit the page removed a portion of biographical information pertaining to Powell's race, as well as a mention of his name from the biography of another noteworthy service member, which was later restored.

In a post on X in March 2025, Hegseth reacted to a viral post sharing the claim, calling it ‘fake.’

Concerns over Pete Hegseth's dismissal

The claim resurfaced after Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) recently noted that earlier this year she told Hegseth that his ouster of senior officials was “deeply troubling” and risked “depriving us” of the “talent, dedication and patriotism” of women and people of color who were disproportionately pushed out. 

While Republican senators have questioned whether identity politics or ideological and political views might have contributed to the disproportionate dismissal of women or people of color, a Pentagon official dismissed such claims as untrue.

The official stated, “It is untrue that Secretary Hegseth is basing promotion decisions on race and sex, and we have said so repeatedly.”