Bill Summary
This resolution calls for the censure of Representative Steve King of Iowa for his repeated and offensive statements that dishonor immigrants and people of diverse backgrounds. The resolution highlights specific incidents where King has expressed discriminatory and xenophobic views, and calls for him to be censured and publicly reprimanded for his conduct. Censure is a formal reprimand by the House of Representatives, and this resolution aims to hold Representative King accountable for his actions.
Possible Impacts
1. If the legislation is passed, it could potentially limit the rights and opportunities of immigrants and people of diverse backgrounds, as it implies a preference for a homogenous society and excludes them from being fully accepted as Americans.
2. The legislation could spark controversy and protests from individuals and groups who are offended by Representative King's comments, causing civil unrest and division within the country.
3. It could also lead to a decrease in foreign investments and tourism, as the rhetoric used in the legislation portrays a negative image of the United States as a diverse and welcoming nation.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 53 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 53
Raising a question of the privileges of the House.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 16, 2019
Mr. Rush submitted the following resolution
January 16, 2019
By motion of the House, referred to the Committee on Ethics
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Raising a question of the privileges of the House.
Whereas the United States has always been a proud multicultural Nation;
Whereas since early in our history our Nation has recognized the strength that
our diversity brings by making our national motto E Pluribus Unum;
Whereas on July 13, 2006, on the floor of the House of Representatives,
comparing immigrants to livestock, Representative Steve King of Iowa
stated, ``We could also electrify this wire with the kind of current
that would not kill somebody, but it would simply be a discouragement
for them to be fooling around with it. We do that with livestock all the
time.'';
Whereas on March 8, 2008, in an interview with KICD Studios, Representative King
stated, ``I don't want to disparage anyone because of their race, their
ethnicity, their name--whatever their religion their father might have
been . . . I'll just say this: When you think about the optics of a
Barack Obama potentially getting elected President of the United
States--I mean, what does this look like to the rest of the world? What
does it look like to the world of Islam?'';
Whereas on May 21, 2012, while speaking with constituents in Pocahontas, Iowa,
Representative King compared vetting immigrants to choosing hunting dogs
saying, ``You want a good bird dog? You want one that's going to be
aggressive? Pick the one that's the friskiest.'';
Whereas in July 2012, at a tele-townhall, on President Barack Obama's place of
birth, Representative King stated, ``It would have been awfully hard to
fraudulently file the birth notice of Barack Obama being born in Hawaii
and get that into our public libraries and that microfiche they keep of
all the newspapers published. That doesn't mean there aren't some other
explanations on how they might've announced that by telegram from Kenya.
The list goes on. But drilling into that now, even if we could get a
definitive answer and even if it turned out that Barack Obama was
conclusively not born in America, I don't think we could get that case
sold between now and November.'';
Whereas on January 4, 2013, in a press release announcing the introduction of
his bill, H.R. 140, Representative King stated, ``The current practice
of extending U.S. citizenship to hundreds of thousands of `anchor
babies' must end because it creates a magnet for illegal immigration
into our country. Now is the time to ensure that the laws in this
country do not encourage law breaking.'';
Whereas on July 24, 2014, in an interview with Newsmax discussing undocumented
immigrants in the United States, Representative King stated, ``For
everyone who's a valedictorian, there's another 100 out there who weigh
130 pounds--and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because
they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert.'';
Whereas on July 20, 2016, in an interview with The Washington Post,
Representative King stated, ``The idea of multiculturalism, that every
culture is equal--that's not objectively true.'';
Whereas on July 18, 2016, in an appearance on MSNBC, Representative King stated,
``Where did any other subgroup of people contribute more to civilization
[than White people]?'';
Whereas on September 18, 2016, on Twitter, Representative King stated, that
``Cultural suicide by demographic transformation must end.'';
Whereas on March 12, 2017, on Twitter, Representative King shared a story about
far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders and added, ``We can't restore
our civilization with somebody else's babies.'';
Whereas on March 13, 2017, on CNN, Representative King stated, ``I'd like to see
an America that's just so homogenous that we look a lot the same'' and
``There's been this effort, we're going to have to replace that void
with somebody else's babies. That's the push to bring in [so] much
illegal immigration into America, living in enclaves, refusing to
assimilate into the American culture and civilization.'';
Whereas on June 12, 2018, Representative King retweeted Mark Collett, a self-
described ``Nazi sympathizer'';
Whereas on September 2, 2018, in an interview with Unzensuriert, a publication
linked to a fascist Austrian political party, Representative King
stated, ``What does this diversity bring that we don't already have?
Mexican food, Chinese food, those things--well, that's fine. But what
does it bring that we don't have that is worth the price? We have a lot
of diversity within the U.S. already.'';
Whereas on January 10, 2019, in the New York Times, Representative King stated
``White nationalist, White supremacist, Western civilization--how did
that language become offensive?'';
Whereas Representative King's statements have drawn praise from known White
supremacists like former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke;
Whereas Representative King dishonors not only immigrants but every American
with his racist and xenophobic rhetoric; and
Whereas Representative King has failed to retract his statement and apologize to
the Members of the House or Americans across the country: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That--
(1) Representative Steve King of Iowa, by his despicable
conduct, has dishonored himself and brought discredit to the
House and merits the censure of the House for the same;
(2) Representative Steve King of Iowa be censured;
(3) Representative Steve King of Iowa forthwith present
himself in the well of the House of Representatives for the
pronouncement of censure; and
(4) Representative Steve King of Iowa be censured with the
public reading of this resolution by the Speaker.
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