Congress passes legislation to make Juneteenth a federal holiday

Congress has moved to establish a new national holiday, this time for Juneteenth. It's the first federal holiday approved since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.

For the first time in nearly 40 years, Congress has moved to establish a new national holiday, this time for Juneteenth, and just in time for Saturday's 156th anniversary of the day which marks the last African American slaves being freed in Texas in the wake of the Civil War. The House voted Wednesday night to pass the legislation. It heads next to President Joe Biden's desk for a signature. When Biden signs it, as he's expected to, Juneteenth will officially become a federal holiday -- the first since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was signed into law in 1983. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, a fierce advocate for the Black community who sponsored the legislation in the House, proudly announced from the podium the "bill is passed" before bringing the gavel down. One Republican, Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana, said in a charged statement ahead of the evening vote that he opposed the legislation that was "an effort by the Left to create a day out of whole cloth to celebrate identity politics." Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a lead sponsor of the Senate bill, called the statement "kooky" in a tweet.