Story at a glance
- The Senate is considering two bipartisan bills to establish national museums of Latinx and women’s history.
- Utah Sen. Mike Lee spoke out against this legislation during a Senate session on Thursday.
- In addition to senators on both sides of the aisle, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pushed back against his opposition on Twitter.
A Utah Senator provoked ire on the Senate floor and online when he opposed national museums dedicated to Latino and Women’s history.
“My objection to the creation of a new Smithsonian museum or series of museums based on group identity, what Theodore Roosevelt called Hyphenated Americanism is not a matter of budgetary or legislative technicalities,” said Utah Sen. Mike Lee, who represents a population of 462,054 Hispanic citizens, during a session of the Senate on Thursday. “It’s a matter of national unity and cultural inclusion. Now we’ve seen in recent years what happens when we indulge the cultural and identity Balkanization of our national community…..It weaponizes diversity.”
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York’s 14th District is Latina herself and nearly half of her district is Latino. On Twitter, she criticized Lee for spending the time fighting this legislation as a COVID-19 relief bill remains on the table.
No movement on COVID in the Senate but good to know Utah Sen. Mike Lee is spending his time today giving speeches about why Latinos shouldn’t have a national history museum and oh, while we’re at it, why there shouldn’t be a women’s history museum either https://t.co/nJE4QnM7nl
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 11, 2020
Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey had called for the Senate to advance the legislation, which has already been passed by the house.
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“One Republican colleague from Utah stands in the way of the hopes and dreams and aspirations of seeing Americans of Latino descent having their dreams fulfilled and being recognized,” said Menendez. “It’s pretty outrageous.”
Another bipartisan team — Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California — chimed in to push for legislation establishing a national museum of women’s history.
“It seems wrong that one senator can block consideration of a bill that would have overwhelming support by a majority of this body. It is extraordinary to me that not 100 years ago not every woman in this country was allowed to vote in every state. That story is one of the stories that needs to be told,” Collins said in response to Lee, adding “I regret that that will not occur this evening, but we will not give up the fight.”
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