Dems slam ‘shameful’ House Republicans who voted to restore ‘mammy’ statue in Arlington

Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the top Democrat in the House, reprimanded 192 of his Republican colleagues who voted in favor of restoring a Confederate statue, depicting a Black “mammy,” in Arlington National Cemetary — calling the decision “shameful.”

“What is this rationale?” Jeffries said in a news conference on Friday. “In a time where America is facing a dangerous world with challenges all across the globe, to decide you want to restore a confederate monument to Arlington National Cemetary.”

On Thursday evening, the group of House Republicans, led by Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde, voted to restore the Reconciliation Monument as part of an amendment to the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act. But the measure ultimately failed with a 192-230 vote.

The statue, which was taken down in December, was commemorative of the Confederacy and features a Black “mammy” holding the child of a white officer. Black “mammies” were stereotypical portrayals of enslaved women in the American South who were depicted as happy and loyal to white families.

“What exactly is the confederate tradition that extreme MAGA republicans, in 2024, are upholding and you want to use the National Defense Authorization Act to turn back the clock on progress that has been made,” Jeffries said on Friday.

He added, “Is it slavery, rape, kidnap, Jim Crow, lynching, racial oppression or all of the above?”

Jeffries specially called out his Republican colleagues from New York — Anthony D’Esposito, Marc Molinaro and Brandon Williams — for voting in favor of the amendment.

“In the United States of America, it’s shameful,” Jeffries said.

The Confederate statue in Arlington was one of many around the country that were re-evaluated after a national push to remove