Political Quotes

“Madam Chair, I rise in strong support of my amendment, which would prohibit the use of any Federal funds or resources from being used to host drag shows at the Smithsonian. I have had several interactions with Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch on this very issue. In a House Administration Committee hearing in December of last year, I questioned Secretary Bunch on whether or not taxpayer funds were used for drag shows and if the Smithsonian had plans to continue to promote drag shows for children. During the hearing, Secretary Bunch said, ``I think it's not appropriate to expose children to drag shows. I'm surprised and I will look into that.'' I was pleased to hear this answer as I also believe it is inappropriate to expose children to these types of events. Only a few weeks later, I was shocked to see that Secretary Bunch had begun pulling back on his answers to me. I believe this is in large part due to the blowback from staff who worked at the Smithsonian. A few months later, the Secretary followed up with answers to additional questions I had. While a response from the Smithsonian stated taxpayer funds were not used for drag shows directly, official time and Smithsonian resources, such as websites and staff as well as building space were being used. To me, this is completely unacceptable.…”