“Today will be a historic day in the history of the United States Congress and of our country,” said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). “The House is taking a long-standing and historic step to ensure that the people we honor on our Capitol represent the highest ideals of our nation and not the worst in its history.”
Despite overwhelming support in the House, it is unclear whether the Republican-controlled Senate will adopt the legislation. Republican Senate leaders have so far refused to take action on the issue, saying it is up to the states to replace the statues they send to the Capitol. A spokesman for the Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Declined to comment on whether the House will consider the House bill.
It is also unclear whether President Donald Trump would sign the bill since he has used Confederate symbolism as a celibate cause to rally his supporters in recent weeks.
And although lawmakers from both parties applauded the bill on Thursday, the move is still a long way from demands by advocates of police reform after national protests over the police murder of George Floyd. The House of Representatives passed a police reform bill last month, while the Senate took no action, which means the issue is likely to be in the background until after the elections.
Still, Democratic leaders announced the passage of the Confederate Statues Elimination Bill as an important step and a tribute to the late Representative John Lewis, the civil rights icon who died last Friday.
“The main honor for Mr. Lewis, for me, is to obtain a signature on the Voting Rights Act. But this is also a way to honor his legacy because what he fought for every day is the exact opposite of the symbols, “said Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), President of the Black Caucus in Congress.
“Personally, as a black legislator, the presence of these statues represents an acceptance of white supremacy and racism,” Bass added.
Each state can donate two statues to the Capitol collection to “honor notable people in their history.” And while several states have removed or taken steps to remove statues in honor of Confederate sympathizers, a dozen statues still remain, including Alexander Stephens of Georgia, vice president of the Confederacy.
Stephens figures prominently in Statuary Hall, a short walk from the House chamber, as does a statue of Mississippi Confederate President Jefferson Davis. But already some House lawmakers and political leaders in Georgia have started talking about replacing the Stephens statue with one of Lewis, an idea that has received bipartisan support in Peach State.
The statues bill is not the only recent action the House has taken on the issue. The House passed its annual defense policy bill on Tuesday, which included provisions that remove the names of Confederate leaders from military bases. More than 100 Republicans backed the bill in direct defiance of Trump, who has threatened to veto the legislation because he opposes renaming the military bases. The Senate is considering its own version this week.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi also deleted four portraits of former speakers who served in the House Chamber Confederation last month.
House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (DS.C.), the highest-ranking African American in Congress, praised the passage of the statues bill on Wednesday and said monuments should be moved to museums so that future americans study.
“When people say, ‘symbols of inheritance are not hatred,’ I tell them, ‘hatred is an inheritance depending on which side of the story you are on,” Clyburn said.
“No one talks about destroying statues,” Clyburn continued. “No matter how unfortunate it may be, I do not defend and I do not want anyone to knock down any statute. … put them in a museum. “
Andrew Desiderio contributed to this story.
