James Lankford of Oklahoma and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin are proposing to replace the federal observance of Columbus Day with Juneteenth. Unlike other measures, the new proposal would keep the number of federal holidays the same by eliminating October's Columbus Day. House legislation by Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas enjoys a lengthy list of bipartisan co-sponsors. In a statement released Wednesday, Lankford and Johnson praise the aims of the Juneteenth legislation -- but emphasize the cost of creating another paid federal holiday without eliminating one. "We support celebrating emancipation with a federal holiday, but believe we should eliminate a current holiday in exchange."

Source: CNN July 02, 2020 18:56 UTC