Republican Leaders Vow to Deny Local D.C. Officials Efforts To Strip City of Historic Namesakes

Today, it has been reported that a local government advisory commission in Washington, D.C. urged Mayor Bowser to call on the federal government to possibly ‘remove, relocate, or contextualize’ a group of federal memorials – including the Jefferson Memorial and the Washington Monument.

The panel also recommended sweeping name changes for schools, government buildings, and public spaces in the nation’s capital including schools named after past U.S. Presidents and other luminaries.

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Twitter that she looked “forward to reviewing and advancing” the recommendations of the group that she had tasked with “evaluating public spaces to ensure the namesake’s legacy is consistent with DC Values.”

This July, I tasked the DCFACES Working Group with evaluating public spaces to ensure the namesake's legacy is consistent with #DCValues.

They have delivered the report, and I look forward to reviewing and advancing their recommendations.

Learn more: https://t.co/VpUZf4HcZB pic.twitter.com/tj889EQmdD

— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) September 1, 2020

US House rep Jim Jordan called out the news, saying that “Now the Left is coming after Jefferson and Franklin. Like we said, the Republican Party is the pro-America party.”

Now the Left is coming after Jefferson and Franklin.

Like we said, the Republican Party is the pro-America party. https://t.co/SaXomtiE5r

— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) September 1, 2020

Congressional candidate Marjorie Greene retweeted agreement with a tweet by House rep Chip Roy who vowed that “In Congress, I will work to strip DC of all power to do anything of the sort.”

Agreed https://t.co/lI5HuHAssp

— Marjorie Taylor Greene For Congress???????? (@mtgreenee) September 1, 2020

A Trump campaign account tweeted out also it’s disapproval, saying, “Democrats in Washington, D.C. are targeting the Jefferson Memorial and Washington Monument.”

Democrats in Washington, D.C. are targeting the Jefferson Memorial and Washington Monument https://t.co/IlTp2doERE

— Trump War Room – Text TRUMP to 88022 (@TrumpWarRoom) September 1, 2020

From Action News Jax:

Along with schools, parks, statues and monuments, the report also raised questions about the names of 78 streets in the nation’s capital, ten neighborhoods, and two libraries.

While the city could rename schools and parks, no federal memorials could be changed – or moved – without the agreement of the federal government.