GOP Senator Who Blocked Juneteenth Bill Last Year Shows Up at Milwaukee Celebration and It Did Not Go Well

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) got a less-than-warm welcome at Milwaukee’s Juneteenth festivities Saturday, drawing boos and jeers from attendees, angry at his past opposition to the bill that recognized the day as a new national holiday.

Johnson had long opposed the creation of an additional federal holiday. Last July, he was the sole Republican in the Senate who had objected to passing the bill, co-sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), by unanimous consent.

As the Wisconsin State Journal reported:

At the time, Johnson said that while he favored celebrating the end of slavery, he would not support adding another paid day off for federal workers, and wanted more debate. Specifically, Johnson had said discussions at the time about the measure left out the fact that it would give federal workers a paid day off “that the rest of Americans have to pay for.”

…According to Johnson, making Juneteenth a federal paid holiday for 2 million or so federal employees would cost around $600 million per year. Johnson said he “strongly” supports celebrating Emancipation.

This year, Johnson relented and the Senate was able to pass the bill by unanimous consent. Fourteen House Republicans voted against it, but were not enough to block it, and President Joe Biden signed it into law on Thursday.

CBS 58 reporter Victor Jacobo tweeted a short video showing Johnson being interviewed by local media as the crowd booed and heckled him.

Other reporters and I were interviewing @RonJohnsonWI at Milwaukee’s #Juneteenth celebration when a crowd booed Johnson. As the media availability ended, people continued expressing disapproval when he left. This continued as he made his way through the event. pic.twitter.com/NNhs3BJ33s

— Victor Jacobo (@victorjacobo_) June 19, 2021

“Most people are getting really tired of the division,” Johnson told reporters, reiterating his past statements that he was not opposed to celebrating, just the addition of another paid government holiday. “I think people are looking to really heal this nation and certainly that’s what I want to do. We can’t continue down this path. So again, I think this is a day to celebrate.”

Milwaukee Democratic Party Chair Chris Walton tweeted his own video, writing to Johnson, “This is the response you get when you put a hold on #Juneteenth from becoming a holiday and then have the audacity to show up at a #Juneteenth festival.”

@SenRonJohnson This is the response you get when you put a hold on #Juneteenth from becoming a holiday and then have the audacity to show up at a #Juneteenth festival. pic.twitter.com/AvjOQ1MWkz

— Chris Walton (@ChrisWaltonMKE) June 19, 2021

Watch the video clips above, via Twitter.