Matt Van Epps, the new Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, introduced a bill reaffirming the Declaration of Independence as the country's 250th anniversary approaches.
The Tennessee congressman, speaking to Fox News Digital, said the bill is a stand against rising socialist ideas within the Democratic Party and that founding values must be passed on to future generations.
Van Epps said, 'Congress did this for America's 100th anniversary. We wanted to show we love our country on the 250th.'
Similar move in the Senate
Republican Senator Eric Schmitt recently passed a resolution in the Senate affirming the Declaration of Independence. Schmitt noted that American national pride has declined in recent years, saying, 'A generation ago, American pride was nearly universal. Today, according to Gallup, that figure is 58 percent.'
Both decided to launch a coordinated legislative effort during the annual congressional baseball game.
Reference to socialist candidates
Van Epps pointed specifically to candidates who won primaries in New York and are backed by Democratic Socialists. One of them, Darializa Avila Chevalier, reportedly opposes deportations, supports the prison abolition movement, and questions Israel's right to exist.
Van Epps said, 'These individuals are completely at odds with founding values. Socialist, Marxist ideas have failed every time they've been tried in history. They are not in America's DNA.'
It is not yet clear when the bill will be taken up in the House. House proceedings went into an early July recess due to a border security protest by a group of conservative Republicans.
