Georgia House Republicans vote against measure condemning Atlanta spa shootings

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All 8 Georgia Republicans in the US House voted against a resolution condemning the Atlanta spa shootings.

The resolution includes the names and biographical details of the 8 victims of the March 16 attack plus language “reaffirming the House of Representatives’ commitment to combating hate, bigotry, and violence against the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community.”

On the other hand, all Georgia House Democrats except Rep. David Scott, who was not present, voted in favor of the measure. The 244-180 vote included every House Democrat plus several dozen Republicans.

Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux hosted a delegation of lawmakers 12 days after the shootings, and they visited each of the three Asian spas that were targeted. She said the resolution would send a message to the loved ones of the eight victims, including six women of Asian descent.

“It is a step in the right direction, but only a step. America is and has always been a nation of immigrants, a fact that deserves to be celebrated,” Bourdeaux added.

Among the Georgia Republicans representative, US Rep. Buddy Carter of Pooler was not present but also voiced out his opposition to the resolution. He believed the matter was premature since the incident is still under investigation and a hate crime has not been confirmed.

Carter said: “I’m against violence, obviously. I’m against what happened, but I want to make sure that the investigation is finished and that we have a conclusive response as to exactly what happened there.”

The vote on the resolution comes a day after the House passed an anti-Asian hate crime bill, which has been signed into law by President Joe Biden.

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