A congressional debate over funding a new Smithsonian Latino Museum carried on for most of Wednesday afternoon, sometimes passionately, epitomizing a much larger national cleavage over whether America is to be viewed as the land of opportunity or through the lens of oppression, race, and gender ideology.
Behind this important national war of ideas lies another issue. Democrats are frantic to win back millions of Hispanic voters they have lost in the last few electoral cycles. The Latino Museum debate showed, if anything, that they don’t really get why so many in this demographic are leaving the woke reservation in the first place.
Wednesday, they lost the battle. Republicans defeated, by a 27-33 vote during mark-up, a Democratic amendment to restore funding for building the museum and for keeping its first exhibit open. The Republicans had included a policy rider eliminating funding for both in the fiscal 2024 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Bill, which funds the Smithsonian.
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