Arizona Republican Rep. Eli Crane said he "misspoke" after he used the racially charged term "colored people" on the House floor and drew swift rebuke from Democratic lawmakers and the Congressional Black Caucus.
"In a heated floor debate on my amendment that would prohibit discrimination on the color of one's skin in the Armed Forces, I misspoke. Every one of us is made in the image of God and created equal," Crane said in a statement.
The freshman Republican used the term Thursday evening as members were debating one of his proposed amendments to the annual defense budget and policy bill. His amendment would prohibit the Pentagon from requiring participation in training or support for "certain race-based concepts" in the hiring, promotion or retention of individuals.
Crane was responding to remarks made by Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty when he said, "My amendment has nothing to do with whether or not colored people or Black people or anybody can serve, okay? It has nothing to do with color of your skin... any of that stuff."
That quickly prompted Beatty, who is Black and previously served as the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, to ask to strike his words from the congressional record. "I am asking for unanimous consent to take down the words of referring to me or any of my colleagues as 'colored people,'" she said.
Crane at first tried to amend his comments to "people of color" before Beatty again stepped in and said she wanted his words stricken. When no one in the chamber objected, the chair ordered it stricken by unanimous consent.
Beatty wrote about the exchange on Twitter: "I am still in utter and disbelief that a Republican uttered the words 'colored people' in reference to African-American service members who sacrifice their lives for our freedom... I will not tolerate such racist and repugnant words in the House Chamber or anywhere in the Congress. That's why I asked that those words be stricken from the record, which was done so by unanimous consent."
In an interview with CBS News, the Ohio Democrat said she doesn't accept Crane's explanation that he "misspoke".
"He didn't misspeak," Beatty said. "He said clearly what, in my opinion, he intended to."
She said some lawmakers intend to hold a special order hour on Monday to address the issue through a series of speeches on the floor.
"It shows us directly why we need DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion)," Beatty explained. "DEI is not about just hiring a Black person or putting a person in the military or in college. It's about having diversity of thought."
"It's very frustrating to have to fight the battles on the United States House floor," she added.
The Congressional Black Caucus called on Crane to apologize to Beatty and service members and suggested he contact the House of Representatives' diversity office.
"Rep. Eli Crane's comment was unprofessional, insensitive and unbecoming of a member of the U.S. House of Representatives," the CBC said in a statement Friday. "It smacks of vestiges of racism, proving that in 2023, we do not live in the color-blind society that Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Clarence Thomas claimed in their majority decision striking down affirmative action.
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is the first African American to lead a party in Congress, said Crane made an "unfortunate statement."
"His words were taken down and that was the appropriate thing to happen," Jeffries said during his weekly news conference.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy told CBS News Crane's comments were "not acceptable."
"I'll take him at his word that he misspoke," McCarthy said. "I have never heard him use that before so you would have to ask him about that."
The House added Crane's amendment to the National Defense Authorization Bill late Thursday, on a 214-210 vote. The House narrowly passed the defense policy bill on Friday, but the Senate is not expected to take up the House version. Crane was one of four Republicans who did not support the final bill.