McCarthy to Introduce Bill To Withhold Funds From States That Don’t Protect Property From Mobs

Vandals attempt to pull down the statue of Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Square near the White House on June 22, 2020. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Thursday said that he will be introducing legislation that withholds federal funding from states that do not stop vandals from destroying historic monuments and property.

“I'll be introducing legislation to withhold funding from states and cities, who’s leaders fail to uphold the law. The mobs that Democrats encouraged suppress speech and punish those who speak out. Democrats encourage it because they think it is a distraction that their agenda can skate by unnoticed. They see it as a supplement to the radical movement in the streets,” McCarthy said at a press conference Thursday.

Memorials to the nation’s Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington have been torn down by vandals during protests in recent weeks. Trump singled out the defacement of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, a nonviolent Indian activist, and the takedown of a statue of Ulysses S. Grant, who played a major role in defeating the Confederacy during the Civil War.

In late June, protestors attempted to topple a statue of former U.S. President Andrew Jackson near the White House and the Emancipation Memorial of President Lincoln.

“Whether it is a monument of Abraham Lincoln freeing the slave or of four of our greatest presidents Democrats no longer view the richness of our country’s history worthy. Not only do they want to erase our past, they want to radically change the way we live today. The mobs that Democrats encourage destroy property,” added McCarthy.

Republicans have spoken out against the removal, and destruction of historic American Statues, monuments, and other property, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Thursday said that he will be introducing legislation which withholds federal funding from states that do not stop vandals from destroying historic monuments and property.

In a statement Wednesday, McCarthy called out Speaker of the House Nancey Pelosi (D-Calif.) for not speaking against the destructions of historic monuments by mobs, “Perhaps the speaker is being silent on the rioters and criminals who continue to destroy and deface the heroes and history of our country and assault innocent citizens, because she wants to appease the radical left,” said McCarthy said.

Speaker Pelosi’s office did not immediately return a request for a comment on the issue.

While Pelosi has made clear the reason why she wants confederate statues removed from the nation’s Capitol, she has not made any official statement about the destruction of property and monuments that have been destroyed across many U.S. cities.

Rioters have torn down and defaced statues representing other notable figures, including a statue of Hans Christian Heg, who died fighting for the Union Army during the civil war, in Wisconsin.

“These monuments memorialize the history we all share as Americans, and they deserve to be defended for future generations,” reads the White House statement.

President Trump recently signed an executive order aimed at protecting monuments and statues from vandalism.

“I just had the privilege of signing a very strong Executive Order protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statues—and combatting recent Criminal Violence. Long prison terms for these lawless acts against our Great Country!” the President announced on Twitter.

“My Executive Order to protect Monuments, Statues etc., IS IN FULL FORCE AND EFFECT. In excess of a 10-year prison term. Please do not put yourself in jeopardy. Many people now under arrest!” he continued.