A group of Republicans, including Utah’s Rep. Chris Stewart, voted with Democrats to remove Confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol — the latest reaction to a broad anti-racist movement sparked by the police killing of George Floyd.
The measure passed the House 305-113 on Wednesday, with 72 Republicans voting with Democrats in support. In a tweet explaining his vote, Stewart wrote: “The U.S. Capitol should be reserved for pieces of art that inspire and unite us as a nation.”
Today I voted to remove confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol. The U.S. Capitol should be reserved for pieces of art that inspire and unite us as a nation.
— Rep. Chris Stewart (@RepChrisStewart) July 22, 2020
In Utah’s House delegation, he was joined by Rep. Ben McAdams, D-Utah, while the state’s other Republican congressmen, Reps. John Curtis and Rob Bishop, voted against the measure.
The bill comes during a national discussion on race and discrimination that has left many questioning the symbols and people celebrated in the United States. In some cities, similar statues have been knocked over by protesters as they have rallied over the past two months. And it’s turned now to lawmakers scrutinizing those honored in their own halls.
Rep. Will Hurd of Texas, the only Black Republican in the House, wrote on Twitter: “Confederate statues don’t belong in the U.S. Capitol. Anyone committing treason against this great experiment we call America in order to keep slavery alive doesn’t deserve a place in a building that represents freedom and unity.
There are 12 statues honoring members of the Confederacy in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall where each state picks two figures to represent it. The measure would remove those, as well as a bust of Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, who wrote in an 1857 Supreme Court decision that slaves were not U.S. citizens.
The Salt Lake Tribune will update this story.
from The Salt Lake Tribune https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2020/07/22/utahs-lawmakers-are-split/
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