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.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
-
How coupling up became cringeTalking Point For some younger women, going out with a man – or worse, marrying one – is distinctly uncool
-
The rapid-fire brilliance of Tom StoppardIn the Spotlight The 88-year-old was a playwright of dazzling wit and complex ideas
-
How your household budget could look in 2026The Explainer The government is trying to balance the nation’s books but energy bills and the cost of food could impact your finances
-
GOP wins tight House race in red Tennessee districtSpeed Read Republicans maintained their advantage in the House
-
Trump targets ‘garbage’ Somalis ahead of ICE raidsSpeed Read The Department of Homeland Security will launch an immigration operation targeting Somali immigrants in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area
-
Hegseth blames ‘fog of war’ for potential war crimespeed read ‘I did not personally see survivors,’ Hegseth said at a Cabinet meeting
-
Looming drone ban has farmers and farm-state Republicans anxiousIN THE SPOTLIGHT As congressional China-hawks work to limit commercial drone sales from Beijing, a growing number of conservative lawmakers are sounding an agricultural alarm
-
Canada joins EU’s $170B SAFE defense fundspeed read This makes it the first non-European Union country in the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative
-
Appeals court disqualifies US Attorney Alina HabbaSpeed Read The former personal attorney to President Donald Trump has been unlawfully serving as US attorney for New Jersey, the ruling says
-
White House says admiral ordered potential war crimeSpeed Read The Trump administration claims Navy Vice Adm. Frank ‘Mitch’ Bradley ordered a follow-up strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat, not Pete Hegseth
-
Honduras votes amid Trump push, pardon vowspeed read President Trump said he will pardon former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, who is serving 45 years for drug trafficking
