The House of Representatives voted on Wednesday night to remove statues that commemorate the Confederacy from the Capitol by a vote of 305-113. All of the votes against the legislation came from GOP lawmakers, while 72 Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the removal of Confederate statues.
The legislation, sponsored by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), instructs the Architect of the Capitol to remove at least ten statues, including those of General Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis. The bust of Chief Justice Roger Taney, who authored the Supreme Court's 1857 Dred Scott decision, would also be removed from the Capitol and replaced with that of Chief Justice Thurgood Marshall.
“Today, the House is taking a long overdue and historic step to ensure that individuals we honor here in our Capitol represent our nation's highest ideals and not the worst in its history,” Rep. Hoyer said.
House GOP Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and GOP Whip Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) were among the Republicans who supported the legislation, while Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), the third-ranking House Republican, did not.
All 113 House members voting No against legislation to remove Confederate statues from US Capitol were Republicans including Freedom Caucus Chair Biggs, GOP Conference Chair Cheney, Appropriations Ranking Member Granger and Judiciary Ranking Member Jordan. https://t.co/zneX1vhC7A pic.twitter.com/SHnCxkDHkt
— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) July 22, 2020
The legislation now heads to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) desk.
