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‘A Spineless, Watered Down Shame’: Republicans Blast ‘Sham’ Anti-Hate Resolution

Virginia Kruta Associate Editor
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A resolution condemning hatred in all forms passed the House Thursday, but 23 Republicans voted against it, calling it “watered down” and “a sham.”

H.R. 183 was originally intended as a reprimand for a series of anti-Semitic comments from freshman Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, but it never named her specifically and was broadened before the final vote to include hatred against a number of other groups. (RELATED: Dems Add More Groups To Anti-Hate Resolution At Last Minute)

The final list included (but was not limited to):

  • Latinos
  • Asian-Americans
  • Pacific Islanders
  • LGBT
  • African-Americans
  • Native Americans
  • other people of color
  • Jews
  • Muslims
  • Hindus
  • Sikhs
  • immigrants

The Republicans who voted against the resolution were quickly accused of expressing hatred against any or all of those groups listed for refusing to support the measure.


Freshman New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has staunchly defended Omar and her comments, attacked those who voted against the resolution, asking, “Where’s the outrage?”

But those Republicans were happy to answer for their votes anyway, and most of them did so without even being asked.

Most argued that the resolution failed to accomplish its original objective of reprimanding Omar because it didn’t name her specifically and watered down her offense by making it part of a broader list. (RELATED: What’s Happening Is ‘Really Scary’: Meghan McCain Breaks Down Over Omar Comments)

Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert

Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs

Colorado Rep. Ken Buck

North Carolina Rep. Ted Budd

Texas Rep. Michael Burgess

Rep. Liz Cheney (WY)

New York Rep. Chris Collins

Texas Rep. Mike Conaway

Arkansas Rep. Rick Crawford

South Carolina Rep. Jeff Duncan

Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar

New York Rep. Pete King

Flordia Rep. Greg Steube

New York Rep. Lee Zeldin

Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie — who also voted no — took the argument to the next level, referencing the one group that Congress can’t seem to get the votes to protect: babies who are born alive after surviving abortion attempts. (RELATED: House Democrats Refuse Eight Times In A Row To Protect Babies Who Survive Abortions)

Other no votes included Reps. Mo Brooks, Doug LaMalfa, Steven Palazzo, Mike Rogers, Chip Roy, Mark Walker and Ted Yoho. Republican Iowa Rep. Steve King voted “present.”

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