Topline
The House of Representatives on Tuesday voted 285 to 120 to pass a bill removing statues of Confederates and advocates of slavery and racial segregation from the U.S. Capitol, with 120 Republicans voting against it – up from 113 last year.
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 18: A statue of Jefferson Finis Davis, president of the Confederate States ... [+]
Key Facts
The bill would replace a bust of Roger Taney, the Supreme Court justice who wrote the infamous Dred Scott v. Sanford decision, which denied citizenship to Black Americans, with one of Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court justice.
It would also remove statues of slavery and segregation champions like Vice President John Calhoun and Sen. James Clarke, as well 11 statues of Confederate figures, including Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Vice President Alexander Stephens.
Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wisc.) said in a floor speech he supported removing statues of Confederates like Stephens but objected to replacing Taney with Marshall, pointing to Marshall’s majority vote in Roe v. Wade, which struck down many abortion restrictions.
But top Republicans like House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Minority Whip Steve Scalise voted to remove the statues, with McCarthy noting in a floor speech, "All of the statues being removed by this bill are statues of Democrats.”
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said the statues should be removed “not to forget them” but because “they are not deserving of our honor,” arguing Marshall would be a “far better ambassador for democracy” than Taney.
Chief Critic
Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) said he voted against the bill because it’s “animated by the Critical Race Theory concepts of structural racism, microaggressions, and a United States based solely on white supremacy.” Rosendale cited “Critical Race Theory” earlier this month as his motivation for voting against a bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.
Key Background
The bill previously passed the House last June amid racial justice protests. Then-Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) attempted to pass it through unanimous consent, but it was blocked by Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), who argued that states should have the final say about which statues they display in the Capitol. Then-Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declined to bring it up for a recorded vote.
What To Watch For
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters on Tuesday he expects Schumer, now the Senate majority leader, to give the bill a vote on the floor. It is not clear if and when that would happen, with the Senate in recess until July 9.
Big Number
60. That’s how many votes the bill needs to overcome a Senate filibuster if it comes to the floor, meaning at least 10 Republicans would have to vote with Democrats in order for it to pass. Senate Republicans have previously signaled their willingness to take similar steps, voting overwhelmingly to override former President Donald Trump’s veto of a defense spending bill that ordered the renaming of bases named for Confederate figures.
