16 House Republicans voted against legislation that would use increased federal funding to promote education on the World War II era internment of Japanese Americans.
Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie was among the Republicans who voted against this bill on March 16, 2022.
This bill received strong bipartisan support. The author of the bill was Republican Congressman Jay Obernolte. The bill was passed by a vote 406-16. All of the 16 no votes were Republicans, which included several members of the House Freedom Caucus.
Cristina Marcos at The Hill listed off the reps who voted for the bill:
Reps. Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Mo Brooks (Ala.), Michael Cloud (Texas), Louie Gohmert (Texas), Bob Good (Va.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Andy Harris (Md.), Clay Higgins (La.), Trey Hollingsworth (Ind.), Doug LaMalfa (Calif.), Thomas Massie (Ky.), Mary Miller (Ill.), Ralph Norman (S.C.), Matt Rosendale (Mont.), Chip Roy (Texas) and Van Taylor (Texas).
Andy Harris argued that the House has misplaced priorities:
“While a war is raging in Europe, gas prices are over four dollars a gallon, our open southern border allows fentanyl to enter our country and kill our youth, and there is record violence in our cities, Americans expect Congress should be spending our time on these issues.”
A spokesperson from Texas Congressman Chip Roy’s office revealed that Roy’s opposition to the bill is due to the fact he believes the bill is unconstitutional.
“Rep. Roy believes this matter should not be the responsibility of the federal government and that it would be best handled by private and charitable entities,” a spokesperson stated.
The bill sets out to establish a Japanese American World War II history network that the National Park Service will run. The goal is to link historical sites connected to the mass internment of Japanese Americans that was carried out in the aftermath of Imperial Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor.
As a result of then-Franklin D. Roosevelt’s issuance of a 1942 executive order, roughly 120,000 people of Japanese descent were sent to detention camps. A large portion were of Japanese origin.
Undoubtedly, this was a sad chapter in American history. However, the federal government should not be subsidizing programs to talk about this moment in history. Good on Roy’s office for explaining that and good on Massie for voting against this legislation. Instead, the private sector should be taking a stronger role in providing these education services.
If anything, the American public should have lessons about the lead up to World War II, when the US was sanctioning Japan into oblivion and doing everything possible short of kinetic action to prevent Japan from establishing hegemony in the Pacific. This compelled Japan to attack the US and get the country into World War II, a destructive affair that accelerated the US’s ascension into empire status.
Sadly, there is a dearth of critical thinking in the US government, where the impulsive instinct is to turn to government funding.
