A Republican proposal to ban the use of the words “Latinx” and “Latin-x” on federal paperwork passed on Wednesday night with support from seven House Democrats.
Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., offered it as an amendment to one of the House GOP’s 12 annual appropriations bills, this one laying out government spending for the Treasury, White House and judiciary.
It wound up passing late on Wednesday with 222 votes to 198 “no” votes.
Among the Democrats who voted for the amendment were four members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus – Reps. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, Yadira Caraveo, D-Colo., Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash.
The other three House Democrats who voted for it were Reps. Jared Golden, D-Maine., Matt Cartwright, D-Pa., and Mary Peltola, D-Alaska.
“The House just passed my amendment calling on [President Biden] to stop using the woke invention ‘Latinx’ on official documents,” Salazar said in a statement after her amendment passed.
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“This term tried to erase our centuries old culture – and as Hispanics, we’ve had enough.”
The term “Latinx” emerged in progressive circles that claimed it was more gender-inclusive than the traditional “Latino” and “Latina” phrasing.
A Gallup survey conducted in 2021 found that just 4% of Hispanic Americans preferred the “Latinx” label. The vast majority, 57%, said it did not matter.
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Other House Democrats, however, heckled the amendment’s passage on Wednesday night.
“We are facing a looming government shutdown in 9 days. So what is [the House GOP] having us vote on tonight? – Amendment that ‘Prohibits funds from being used to produce official documents containing the term ‘latinx’ or ‘latin-x’’,” Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., wrote on social media platform X.
Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., wrote, “Not much progress on keeping the government open or providing aid to Ukraine, but the House GOP did just pass an amendment forbidding the government from using the term ‘Latinx’. It’s like The West Wing around here.”