Cory Booker: “Mr.President, today I rise to speak about the introduction of the Confederate Monument Removal Act. This legislation…”

“Mr.President, today I rise to speak about the introduction of the Confederate Monument Removal Act. This legislation would properly remove certain statues on display in the Capitol as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection so they can be exhibited elsewhere in the proper historical context. I am proud to introduce this legislation today and I want to thank Representative Barbara Lee for her leadership in the House on this bill. On July 2, 1864, a law was enacted that created the National Statuary Hall Collection, which allows states to select two statues of deceased individuals to be displayed in the Capitol. States are supposed to choose people ``who have been citizens thereof, and illustrious for their historic renown or for distinguished civil or military services.'' Figures like George Washington, Samuel Adams, and Dwight D. Eisenhower grace the collection and are prominently on display in the Capitol. The collection is meant to honor patriots who served, sacrificed, or made tremendous contributions to our Nation. People who served the Confederate States of America do not deserve that honor. These are individuals who took up arms against the Union and inflicted catastrophic death and suffering among United States citizens. Simply put, they fall well short of that high bar. Moreover, the presence of these statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection ignores the context in which these monuments were first erected. Statues of Robert E.…”