Dems block bid to defund Cesar Chavez monument despite child sexual abuse allegations
Senate Democrats blocked an attempt to defund and abolish a monument to a prominent labor union activist who was recently hit with bombshell allegations of being a serial predator.Sen. John...
By Fox News · Fox News
Senate Democrats blocked an attempt to defund and abolish a monument to a prominent labor union activist who was recently hit with bombshell allegations of being a serial predator. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, tried to pass legislation that would have defunded the monument to Cesar Chavez, who co-founded the United Farm Workers. The monument sits in California on property that was once his home and where his labor movement was born. Chavez was once a revered figure, particularly among Democrats, until a bombshell New York Times report in March detailed allegations of a pattern of sexual misconduct, including abusing and grooming minors. The alleged victims had stayed silent even after his death. SENATOR GALLEGO SAYS LONGTIME FRIENDSHIP WITH SWALWELL 'CLOUDED MY JUDGMENT' AS RUMORS SWIRLED IN DC "Due to Senator Heinrich’s shameful actions, the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument — a known crime scene where much of Chavez’s abhorrent abuse of women and girls occurred — will continue to operate on the American people’s dime, and it is sickening," Cornyn told Fox News Digital. But the effort was blocked by Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., who acknowledged the alleged abuse on the Senate floor Tuesday and said it "necessarily and profoundly changes Cesar Chavez’s legacy and how he should be remembered." While he agreed there should not be a monument named after Chavez, Heinrich warned that removing it would erase the stories of farm laborers and sweep his "violence under the rug." "When we learn shocking or terrible things about our history, the right answer is to tell the truth — never to hide it," Heinrich said. "I’m concerned that what my colleague from Texas is proposing could do just that: Hide the truth about Cesar Chavez and, unfortunately, the incredible farmworker movement with it." SWALWELL OUT AMID SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS AFTER 13 YEARS IN CONGRESS Heinrich’s move to block the legislation came the same day two members of the House — former Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-…