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Rep. Chip Roy votes against anti-lynching bill

The bill that makes lynching a federal hate crime was opposed by three Republican members of the House of Representatives.

U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, who represents the Texas Hill Country, was one of three U.S. House of Representatives members to vote against making lynching a hate crime and civil rights violation — something Congress has failed to do for more than a century.

Roy, however, was unapologetic in his decision to vote against the bill.

"Lynching is an unspeakably heinous crime," Roy said in a statement. "But This bill doesn't have anything to do with lynching, other than its name.

It does not make lynching a federal offense. In fact, it creates no new federal offenses. It simply raises the punishment for things that are already federal crimes, including those that are unrelated to lynching — such as gender identity — in an effort to advance a woke agenda under the guise of correcting racial injustice.

"Congress and the media should be honest with the American people about what bills do and don't do. As much as I favor harsher penalties for violent offenders, this is a matter for the states and I will not vote for legislative deception. I will also not support enhancing the power of a federal government that so often abuses it."

Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Illinois) said via Twitter he wasn't surprised by the three dissenters, drawing reference to Roy's pronouncement last year lynching was how Texas served justice.

Twitter
See @RepBobbyRush's post on Twitter.
twitter.com/RepBobbyRush

Roy voted yes for the previous version of the bill in February of 2020.

Dubbed the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Bill, the legislation must pass the Senate before making its way to President Biden. In 2020, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) was able to block the bill, but Paul said he would not stand in the way of the legislation this time.

Roy was joined by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) and Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Georgia) in voting against the legislation. Roy said he will also skip the State of Union address President Biden is making Tuesday night.

Twitter
See @chiproytx's post on Twitter.
twitter.com/chiproytx

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