A House of Representatives committee on Tuesday shut down a blatantly racist attempt by Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King to block the Treasury Department’s plan to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill.
Talking Points Memo reports that the House Rules Committee on Tuesday rejected the King’s amendment:
“It’s not about Harriet Tubman, it’s about keeping the picture on the $20,” King told Politico. “Y’know? Why would you want to change that? I am a conservative, I like to keep what we have.”
The Iowa Republican went on to say that it was “racist” and “sexist” to suggest that a woman or person of color be included on U.S. currency. For King, the proposal to replace former president Andrew Jackson, a slaveowner, with an abolitionist and feminist icon was “liberal activism.”
“This is a divisive proposal on the part of the president, and mine’s unifying,” he told Politico. “It says just don’t change anything.”
How many of you think King’s reasoning is flawed and racist? Sound off in comments.
SOURCE: Talking Points Memo
Iowa Republican Lawmaker Wants To Block Harriet Tubman $20 Bill
Apparently there’s one outspoken GOP congressman who doesn’t want to replace Andrew Jackson with Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill.
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) filed a measure that would block the Treasury Department from spending money to redesign paper money or coin currency, the Huffington Post reports. King hopes his addendum will be attached to a wider bill that addresses overall Treasury funding.
The congressman is no stranger to controversy. In 2014, he doubled down on the following statement in regards to granting citizenship for undocumented immigrants: “For everyone who’s a valedictorian, there’s another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds – and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert.”
Tubman, a titan in the abolitionist and Women’s Suffrage Movement, was announced as Jackson’s replacement on the $20 bill in April. The swap spurred opposition from many notables, like GOP presumptive nominee Donald Trump and neurosurgeon Ben Carson.
Others hailed it as a victory for equality and a step forward after generations of White men dominated the imagery on American currency.
SOURCES: Huffington Post | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
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