WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) today introduced the No Funding to Honor Crime Scenes Act, which would abolish and defund the César E. Chávez National Monument in California following reports of abhorrent abuse by Chávez towards multiple females, including minors, some of which occurred at that very site. The legislation would redirect funds saved from abolishing the monument towards Sen. Cornyn’s Debbie Smith Act, which provides state and local law enforcement agencies with funding to complete forensic analyses of crime scenes and untested rape kits.

“Not one dime of taxpayer money should be spent on a monument that glorifies a monster like César Chávez, especially when that monument stands quite literally at the scene of some of his alleged crimes,” said Sen. Cornyn. “This legislation would defund and abolish the monument in California that was at one time his home and office, and ensure we are not memorializing a perpetrator of abuse but instead supporting survivors by rerouting monetary savings towards fighting the rape kit backlog.”

“Monuments are made to celebrate those who should be honored,” said Sen. Cassidy. “The dishonor of Cesar Chavez’s abuse of women mandates that this monument be taken down.”

Background:

The César E. Chávez National Monument was established in California by Presidential Proclamation 8884, which was issued by President Barack Obama on October 8, 2012. The monument is the site of César Chávez’s former home and the former headquarters for the labor movement that created the United Farm Workers of America. Sen. Cornyn’s legislation seeks to defund this historic site and end its designation as a national monument following reports that the once-esteemed Civil Rights leader allegedly sexually abused young girls and raped Dolores Huerta, his United Farm Workers Union co-founder. The legislation would also redirect savings from abolishing the monument to the Debbie Smith Act, which supports victims of abuse and combats the backlog of untested rape kits and DNA evidence from unsolved crimes. Sen. Cornyn has consistently led this legislation for more than two decades, including its most recent reauthorization in 2024.

This legislation builds on Governor Abbott’s commitment to ending Texas’ observation of March 31 as César Chávez Day and his plans to work with the Texas legislature to remove the holiday from state law in the next legislative session. Several Texas cities and groups have announced plans to cancel any events or memorials honoring César Chávez, and City Councilmembers in San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas have also announced their intent to rename any streets dedicated to him.

The No Funding to Honor Crime Scenes Act would:

• Abolish the César E. Chávez National Monument in California;
• Deposit the savings from abolishing the Monument into a fund supporting the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program, established in Sen. Cornyn’s Debbie Smith Act, to fight the rape kit backlog, support survivors, and empower law enforcement to bring more perpetrators of abuse to justice;
• And prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from using any funds to support the operation or maintenance of the monument unless the funds are being used to abolish the monument.