Republican Senators Propose Amendment To Replace Columbus Day With Juneteenth
Republican Senators Ron Johnson (Wis., left) and James Lankford (Okla., right) have proposed an amendment to replace Columbus Day with Juneteenth as a new federal holiday. They claim it will give pro-Juneteenth people what they want, while avoiding further debt for the U.S.; as the economic cost of one federal holiday totals about $600 million in paid time off for federal employees.
On Wednesday, Johnson said, “In response to a bipartisan effort to give federal workers another day of paid leave by designating Juneteenth a federal holiday, we have offered a counterproposal that does not put us further in debt. We support celebrating emancipation with a federal holiday, but believe we should eliminate a current holiday in exchange. We chose Columbus Day as a holiday that is lightly celebrated, and least disruptive to Americans’ schedules.”
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Meanwhile, Lankford added, “Juneteenth is a day in our history that redefined the meaning of freedom and equality in America. We should celebrate these strides on the federal level while remaining cognizant of the impact the existing 10 federal holidays have on federal services and local businesses. We can reduce these impacts by replacing Columbus Day as a federal holiday with Juneteenth, America’s second independence day. I’m hopeful the Senate will support this amendment to celebrate this significant day in our nation’s history.”
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