Juneteenth is now officially a federal holiday, but the 14 House Republicans who voted against the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act's passage have some varying objections to the day of recognition.
Some lawmakers, like Reps. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) took issue with the inclusion of the phrase "Independence Day" in the holiday's formal name, The New York Times reports.
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) added that he would've voted in favor of the Juneteenth bill had Democrats changed the name to "Juneteenth National Emancipation Day." Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) felt similarly, claiming, "Naming this day 'National Independence Day' would create confusion and push Americans to pick one of those two days as their independence day based on their racial identity," per the Times.
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Others, like Reps. Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.) and Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) believe an added paid holiday for federal employees to be "fiscally irresponsible." Said Jackson on Thursday: "I support Texas' Juneteenth holiday and I support all Americans who celebrate it. However, I do not support more days off for federal employees." Texas was the first of 47 states to celebrate Juneteenth as a state holiday, per NBC News.
And a few, like Reps. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) and Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.), roped partisan, politically-charged rhetoric into their rationale. Gosar asserted he "[rejects] racism," but that "Juneteenth is more debunked Critical Race Theory in action." Rosendale argued the movement "isn't an effort to commemorate emancipation," and is instead tied to the "hard-left agenda to enshrine the racial history of this country as the prime aspect of our national story."
Read more at The New York Times.
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