“Race-based caucuses are not about diversity. They are segregation sanctioned by the legislative branch of the federal government,” said Congresswoman Mace. “You do not get to lecture America about inclusion while running an organization checking skin color at the door or advocating for Americans of one race over another.” 

None of these caucuses — or any of the others Mace suggested ought to be forbidden — engage in, as she said, “segregation,” base entry on skin color or advocate “for Americans of one race over the other.” If that were the case, one would expect, say, the Congressional Black Caucus to be filled solely with dark-skinned lawmakers who advocate for policies that benefit only Black people. It’s not even clear to me what sort of legislation would fall under this umbrella. 

In reality, these caucuses often serve to unite lawmakers around legislation that constituents aligned with these caucuses have broadly backed. And there’s nothing precluding them from working on other legislation, just as there’s nothing precluding lawmakers who are not part of these caucuses from collaborating with them on bills. For example, the CBC has vocally supported extending tax credits that support the Affordable Care Act, a policy that, despite benefiting many Black people, obviously does not privilege one race over another. And the same applies for many of the other groups Mace has targeted — which, to be clear, includes the Italian American Congressional Delegation and the Greek American Congressional Staff Association. 

The chairs of what is collectively known as the Congressional Tri-Caucus — that is, the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus — are New York Democratic Reps. Yvette Clark, Grace Meng and Adriano Espaillat, respectively. In a statement co-signed by House Democratic leadership, they condemned Mace’s resolution as “racist” and one of her latest “cheap political stunts”:

“Nancy Mace rose to infamy for her cheap political stunts, and this is just the latest distraction from her failed primary and complete inability to deliver for her constituents. Members of Congress have every right to organize around shared policy priorities and the constituencies they serve. There are dozens of bipartisan congressional caucuses dedicated to ethnic communities, geographic regions, industries, veterans, faith traditions and countless other interests. Singling out the Congressional Tri-Caucus—which represents nearly half of all Americans—is racist and a shameless attempt to silence the voices of minorities.”

In an apparent reference to Mace’s history of racist and xenophobic comments, the lawmakers continued: “The Tri-Caucus does not need a lecture about what constitutes federally sanctioned segregation—least of all from a member who has repeatedly made racist and bigoted comments about minority communities over the course of her tenure in Congress.”