Congress Approves Bill Making Juneteenth A Federal Holiday

By Tom Hanks

The United States will soon have a new holiday to commemorate the end of slavery.

The House of Representatives voted 415-14 Wednesday to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. The bill now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk, and he is expected to sign it into law.

Congress has passed numerous resolutions over the years to commemorate the holiday, but the push to make Juneteenth a federal holiday gained greater exposure last year after the reckoning reignited by the murder of George Floyd while in police custody.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the date Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas – the last remaining Confederate stronghold. While the Confederacy had surrendered two months before – Texas was the most remote of the slave states.

Because of this, enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation was shaky at best.

Juneteenth is the first new federal holiday since the creation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.

“Our federal holidays are purposely few in number and recognize the most important milestones,” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), in a statement. “I cannot think of a more important milestone to commemorate than the end of slavery in the United States.”

Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), speaking next to a large poster of a Black man whose back was severely scarred from being whipped, said she would be traveling to Galveston this Saturday to celebrate alongside Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).

At the peak of last year’s racial justice protests, Jackson-Lee along with Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), introduced bills in their respective chambers to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.

While their efforts had strong bipartisan support, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) blocked the measure over concerns that giving workers another paid holiday would bear a heavy cost to the taxpayer.

The Senate passed the bill a day earlier under a unanimous consent agreement that eliminates the filibuster and speeds up the process for considering legislation. It only takes one senator’s objection to block such agreements.

Some Republican lawmakers opposed the push. Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT), called it an effort to celebrate “identity politics.”

“Since I believe in treating everyone equally, regardless of race, and that we should be focused on what unites us rather than our differences, I will vote no,” he said in a press release.

47 states recognize Juneteenth as a holiday or have an official observance and most states hold celebrations. Juneteenth is a paid holiday for state employees in Texas, New York, Virginia and Washington.

Under the legislation, the federal holiday would be known as Juneteenth National Independence Day. 

The 14 Republicans who voted against the bill were Mike Rogers of Alabama, Mo Brooks of Alabama, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Doug LaMalfa of California, Tom McClintock of California, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Rosendale of Montana, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee, Ronny Jackson of Texas, Chip Roy of Texas and Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin.