New York GOP Delegation Joins Rep. Garbarino, Stands In Defense of Columbus Day and Italian American Heritage

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In response to Albany Democrats' recent proposal to rewrite history by abolishing Columbus Day, New York's entire Republican Delegation rose in solidarity with the state's Italian Americans by becoming co-sponsors of Congressman Andrew R. Garbarino's (R-NY-02) resolution to recognize the second Monday in October as ‘‘Columbus Day’’ and honor the contributions of the Italian American community to our society.

Rep. Garbarino first introduced this Resolution last year with fellow Italian Member of Congress Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV). Joining Reps. Garbarino and Amodei as co-sponsors are Reps. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Lee Zeldin (R-NY), Chris Jacobs (R-NY), John Katko (R-NY), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Joe Sempolinski (R-NY), and Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ).

"Attempts to abolish Columbus Day are attempts to rewrite history and erase a core piece of Italian American heritage," said Rep. Garbarino. "Columbus Day is a day of great pride for our community and one that celebrates, not just the accomplishments of one Italian explorer who changed the course of history, but also the countless contributions of generations of Italian Americans that followed. I am committed to making sure this celebration of Italian Americans is preserved for future generations and I thank my colleagues for joining with me in this effort."

The Resolution expresses support for the recognition of Christopher Columbus and his impact on the Italian American community, and for recognizing the second Monday in October as "Columbus Day". The full text can be found here.

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