Seven House Republicans thumbed their noses at an effort to rename a post office after one of their late long-serving colleagues from the other side of the political aisle.
Reps. Bill Flores of Texas, Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin, Andy Harris of Maryland, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Tom Rice of South Carolina, David Rouzer of North Carolina, and Chip Roy of Texas voted late Tuesday against rebranding a post office in upstate New York after Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., and the 16-term congresswoman’s husband.
Although the bill, introduced by Slaughter’s successor Rep. Joe Morelle, also a Democrat, still passed 414 to 7, the dissent from the handful of GOP lawmakers sticks out given that proposals renaming federal facilities are widely considered to be uncontroversial measures.
The small group of Republicans were quick to emphasize that their opposition was not intended to be a personal slight aimed at Slaughter, who died last year in March. She was the first woman to lead the House Rules Committee.
“We shouldn’t name post offices after congressional families unless the Member of Congress was a war hero,” Harris said.
Massie agreed. “There are so many unrecognized veterans who have sacrificed for this country that I think it is wrong to name a federal facility after a politician,” he said.
Slaughter was “a nice, kind woman who was enjoyable to work with,” Grothman said.
“While Congress has not been able to address the major issues of the day such as immigration, healthcare and welfare reform, they have … continued the time-honored tradition of naming post offices,” Grothman added. “However, members of Congress are well-compensated and do not risk their lives for our country.”
Roy provided a more nuanced response to the Washington Examiner‘s inquiries. The freshman said he would not support lawmakers naming buildings after other politicians as “a matter of principle” because it is not a “wise use of time.” However Roy did co-sponsor a similar proposal introduced in January aimed at recasting a postal facility in Texas after Charles W. Stenholm, a 13-term Democratic congressman who served until 2005.
“In regards to me co-sponsoring HR 512, in order for those bills to even be considered, the entire Texas delegation must co-sponsor,” he said. “Whenever possible, I will not prevent friends and colleagues in the Texas delegation from making their own voting decisions in these instances.”
The one House Republican who may have been against the measure due to personal animus, Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., did not vote. Collins, who is under federal indictment, called Slaughter “a despicable human being” in 2017 for filing Office of Congressional Ethics charges against the GOP lawmaker over allegations of insider trading with pharmaceutical company stock.
The measure relating to Slaughter’s potential post office will now be considered by the Senate.
