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Congressmen on both sides of the aisle have joined together to force President Trump to take a side on the issue of racism in America.
First the Senate came together to easily pass legislation in condemnation of the violence perpetrated by white supremacists last month in Charlottesville, Virginia, leaving one women dead and many others injured.
The next day, on Tuesday evening, the House stepped up to the bat and supported the House’s version of the law with a voice vote. That legislation was introduced by conservative freshman Representative Tom Garrett, Republican of Virginia, representing Charlottesville, and Rep. Gerald Connolly
, Democrat of Virginia. The entire Virginia delegation was behind the law; seven Republicans and four Democrats.
It is not unusual for resolutions to be passed which announce sentiments held by Congress. However, in this case, those backing the law created it to be a “joint resolution,” requiring the President to express his opinion on the issue; an issue that has been daunting and haunting Trump for several weeks.
The resolution asks Trump to “speak out against hate groups that espouse racism, extremism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, and White supremacy.” It also calls on the administration to “use all resources available to the President and the President’s Cabinet to address the growing prevalence of those hate groups in the United States.”
Also included in the law is the request that Attorney General Jeff Sessions examine any violence and/or domestic terrorism which white supremacists undertake as part of their ideology of hate.
The resolution takes aim at Trump’s obtuse statement in response to the Charlottesville rally violence which condemned “hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides” instead of simply condemning the white supremacists explicitly and simply. Trump also said that there were some “very fine people” among the white nationalist protestors. The statements caused an uproar and concern that President Trump somehow agrees and/or supports white supremacy in America.
