While members of Congress are now allowed to say “Merry Christmas,” “Happy Hanukkah,” “Happy New Year,” or other holiday greetings, a victory against the politically correct “War on Christmas,” Breitbart News has learned members and staff are still not allowed to devote an entire message to spreading holiday cheer.
In a December 4th email communication to all House offices, the House Committee on Administration’s chairwoman Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI) and ranking member Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA) announced the rule change. In that email, which was obtained by Breitbart News, Miller and Davis made clear that the new policy–a lift of the decades-old universal ban on “Merry Christmas” and all other pro-holiday greetings begun in 1973–“still prohibits Members from sending communications for the sole purpose of expressing a holiday greeting.”
“The Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards (Franking Commission) is pleased to announce that, effective immediately, Members may include incidental holiday greetings in their official constituent communications,” Miller and Davis wrote in an email obtained by Breitbart News. “Prior to the Commission’s adoption of this new commonsense policy, franking regulations prohibited any form of a holiday greeting whatsoever. However, the new policy, which still prohibits Members from sending communications for the sole purpose of expressing a holiday greeting, allows Members to include simple holiday salutations like Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah.”
As Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) noted in a press release on Christmas Eve, this represents a major victory for conservatives, as they are now allowed to say “Merry Christmas” and other holiday greetings as part of bigger messages from their official congressional offices. However, members of Congress are still prevented from devoting an entire congressional communication via social media, web video, press release, e-newsletter, or the like to spread Christmas cheer or wish people a joyous Hanukkah, New Year, or other holiday.
That has not stopped conservative Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), who said he will break this rule because he supports the right to wish his constituents and all Americans a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year, and so on.
“If Holder can get away with breaking the law with no consequences then I dare the P.C. police to bring ethics charges against me for saying Merry Christmas,” Gosar, who has led the charge to hold Attorney General Eric Holder accountable for Operation Fast and Furious, said in a statement provided to Breitbart News. “I have wished my constituents a Merry Christmas each year since I was elected and I will continue to do [so] every year that I serve.”
Gosar has held true to his promise to spread holiday cheer despite the obstinance and obstruction from the House Administration Committee and other politically correct enforcers on Capitol Hill. In an e-newsletter to constituents sent on Monday, Gosar devoted the entire communication to wishing constituents a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,” the subject line of the e-newsletter, which focused on spreading holiday cheer, read.
In another e-newsletter in early December, Gosar wished constituents a Happy Hanukkah, and in March of this year, he wished constituents a Happy Easter and a Happy Passover.
“My wife and I send our best wishes to all those in Arizona and around the world celebrating Easter with their families,” Gosar wrote to constituents on March 30th:
As we celebrate this Easter, let us all also remember to wish blessings of and to pray for the safety of the brave men and women of our armed forces, who are away from their families during this holiday. Happy Easter. I would also like to express my best wishes to everyone celebrating Passover. This festival expresses the values of every free society and its message of liberation is universal. Passover is a fitting time to reflect on those values of freedom and liberty we enjoy as Americans. I wish you a Happy Passover. Chag sameach!”
Gosar told Breitbart News that he will not be deterred from ensuring that messages about the importance of America’s Judeo-Christian heritage at holiday times are sent out.
“In a time where we can’t trust our president and his administration not to spy on us, not to arm dangerous Mexican cartels, not to leave innocent Americans defenseless in our embassies, like they did in Benghazi, not to lie to us, as they did with Obamacare, if anyone in D.C. has time to worry about my holiday greetings, then we should all pack it in and head to the nearest church,” Gosar told Breitbart News.
Gosar has even, in congressional videos published on his official YouTube page, opened and closed them with wishes of “Merry Christmas.” Gosar’s senior adviser Apryl Marie Fogel told Breitbart News that last year U.S. House officials blocked him from recording a pro-Christmas message in the Capitol, so he did it elsewhere, then published it on his official congressional YouTube page. “Last year, the House recording studio told us we were not allowed to record our Christmas message using their studios due to existing House rules,” Fogel said in an email. “When we told the Congressman that we were turned down he said [it] wouldn’t stop him. He went off site and recorded his Christmas wishes that was then included in our official enewsletter, posted on our webpage and distributed via social media.”
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year, America.
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