The Slatest

House Votes to Ban Display of Confederate Flags at Veterans Cemeteries  

Confederate flags fly over the graves of Confederate soldiers burried in Magnolia Cemetery on July 14, 2015, in Charleston, South Carolina.

John Moore/Getty Images

On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives revived the national debate about the appropriateness of the lingering presence of the Confederate Flag in America by voting to ban its display at Veterans Administration cemeteries. The 265-159 vote saw 84 Republican support the ban and all but two Democrats. The restriction on the flag was added as an amendment by California Rep. Jared Huffman would make it illegal to drape or display the Confederate flag in a national cemetery, even on an individual gravesite.

The amendment does not mean, of course, that the ban is certain to become law. There appears to be increased sensitivity, however, to the flag’s symbolism by Republican representatives in the wake of the mass church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina. A similar ban was attached to an appropriations bill last year, but House Republicans ended up scrapping the measure altogether. Democrats in the House likely will continue to push for votes on the flag with the hopes of making it a campaign issue in an election cycle that is almost certain to be racially charged with the nomination of Donald Trump. In response to the Confederate flag ban, Republicans initially considered trying to modify the amendment Thursday, but ultimately withdrew its own proposal and voted on the ban without offering a rebuttal on the House floor. According to the Hill, “[b]ehind the scenes, some Republicans vehemently pushed against Huffman’s amendment.”