Rep. Jerry Nadler brushed off Rep. Matt Gaetz‘s proposal to have lawmakers recite the Pledge of Allegiance before committee hearings.
“It’s unnecessary,” the New York Democrat said. “The House begins every day with the Pledge of Allegiance. We’re covered by that. There’s no necessity to say the Pledge of Allegiance twice during the same day.”
Reciting the pledge, which calls for “one nation … indivisible,” would inspire unity at a politically tense moment, Gaetz argued.
“I just think it would be nice that if in the spirit of national unity and national pride, which we all aspire to do to a greater extent, that the chair or one of the designees of the chair would have the opportunity to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance,” Gaetz said. “We’re all aware that in these times, it’s important for people to see members of Congress working together on some things.”
I proposed that we begin each meeting of the House Judiciary Committee by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
Democrats just said “no.”@RepJerryNadler said it’s “unnecessary.” pic.twitter.com/TquNSxqJzv
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) February 4, 2021
Nadler, who chairs the committee, responded by giving himself the floor to speak in opposition to the Florida Republican’s push.
Congress’s lower chamber is experiencing heightened political tension in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill siege that resulted in five deaths.
Republicans are grappling with controversies concerning Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who apologized for her past support of QAnon conspiracy theories in a floor speech, and Liz Cheney, who survived a vote aimed at stripping her of her leadership position after the Wyoming Republican supported the second impeachment of former President Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, Democrats in the chamber are contending with the previous remarks of Rep. Ilhan Omar, whose alleged anti-Semitism is drawing the ire of the GOP.
The Senate is not without its own political turmoil. The divided chamber will preside over Trump’s second impeachment trial, set to begin Tuesday. Deemed a politically divisive process by some members of the upper chamber, the senators will consider the House’s charge that Trump incited an insurrection during his Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally. Sixty-seven members would need to vote affirmatively to convict Trump.
Trump had previously been impeached on two Ukraine-related articles by the Democratic-led House in December 2019 but was acquitted by the GOP-controlled Senate.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Nadler’s office for further comment.
