House Republicans introduced the Mount Rushmore Protection Act this week, a measure that would prohibit the use of federal funds to change, destroy, or rename the Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
Representative Dusty Johnson (R., S.D.) first proposed the measure in 2020 when a nationwide protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death lead to the removal of a number of historic statues across the country. Johnson reintroduced the legislation a second time in August 2022 after Jalen Rose, an ESPN commentator, argued that Mount Rushmore, as an icon meant to “define greatness,” should “be retired.”
“Let’s stop using the term Mount Rushmore when we talking about our favorite rappers, talking about our favorite movies, talking about our favorite players,” Rose said at the time, arguing that the monument was built on “stolen” land.
The bill, which Johnson reintroduced this week in the GOP-controlled House, would protect the memorial from any changes and would require that any reference to the site on maps and other documents must refer to “Mount Rushmore.”
“Our nation’s history is not without its flaws, but there is no doubt the faces on Mount Rushmore represent democracy, freedom, and the great American experiment,” Johnson said this week. “Removing or changing Mount Rushmore will not change the past and will not move us forward as a country. We must protect Mount Rushmore for generations to come.”
Several House Republicans have expressed support for the bill including Representatives Jim Banks of Indiana, Michael Guest of Mississippi, Doug LaMalfa of California, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Alex Mooney of West Virginia, Troy Nehls of Texas, Chris Stewart of Utah, Claudia Tenney of New York, and Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, the delegate from American Samoa.