Blunt blocks bill that would remove Confederate statues from Capitol

Missouri U.S. Senator Roy Blunt has stopped a bill that aims to remove 11 Confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol complex. He wants more time to consider giving the issue a hearing in the Rules Committee. He also says they have agreements with states they must uphold.

“Each of these states would have the right to remove these statutes and some are. This is an agreement with the states. It goes back to 1864,” Blunt said. “I’d like to get the opinion of people who are taking similar statues out of the building. I’d also like to find out what other states have in mind as their part of this agreement,” Blunt added.

New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker says keeping statues of Confederates in the Capitol is a “painful, insulting, difficult injury,”and that “The continued presence of these statues in the halls is an affront to African Americans and the ideals of our nation.”

“We cannot separate the Confederate statues from this history and legacy of white supremacy in this country,” added Booker. This comes as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi ordered the removal of four portraits in the Capitol of previous speakers of the House who had served in the Confederacy.