Here are the 14 House Republicans who voted against a bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday
The House overwhelmingly passed a bill on Wednesday that would establish June 19 as Juneteenth National Independence Day, a US federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
While the legislation met bipartisan support in the House, more than a dozen Republicans in the chamber voted against the measure on Wednesday. The bill, which the Senate unanimously approved on Tuesday, is expected to be signed into law by President Joe Biden.
Some of the lawmakers who voted against the bill in the House argued the proposed holiday would only serve to divide Americans based on race, including GOP Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, who took aim at the name provided for the holiday in the legislation.
“This name needlessly divides our nation on a matter that should instead bring us together by creating a separate Independence Day based on the color of one’s skin,” Roy said in a statement.
Here are the lawmakers who voted against the Juneteenth bill:
- Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona
- Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama
- Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia
- Rep. Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee
- Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona
- Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas
- Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California
- Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky
- Rep. Tom McClintock of California
- Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina
- Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama
- Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana
- Rep. Chip Roy of Texas
- Rep. Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin
