Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Cori Bush (D-MO), members of the “Squad,” mistakenly conflated Memorial Day — a day designated to honor fallen American service members — with Veterans Day, which honors those who have served.
On #MemorialDay, we honor the heroic men and women who served our country. We owe them more than our gratitude — they have more than earned access to quality mental health services, job opportunities, housing assistance, and the benefits they were promised.
Bush initially posted on her congressional X account:
This #MemorialDay & every day, we honor our veterans in St. Louis. We must invest in universal health care, affordable housing, comprehensive mental health services, and educational & economic opportunities for our veterans as we work to build a world free of war and violence.
After faced with criticism from X users for their misunderstanding of the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day, the posts were deleted.
Both representatives later replaced their posts with messages appropriate for Memorial Day.
Omar wrote on her campaign account:
On Memorial Day, let’s say thank you to the brave men and women who selflessly sacrificed their lives in service to our country. Thank you to the families who also have sacrificed and have dedicated their time to ensuring their loved ones are remembered.
On Memorial Day, let’s say thank you to the brave men and women who selflessly sacrificed their lives in service to our country. Thank you to the families who also have sacrificed and have dedicated their time to ensuring their loved ones are remembered.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) May 27, 2024
Bush updated her congressional account with:
This #MemorialDay, we honor those who served and lost their lives for our country, and we hold in our hearts the loved ones they’ve left behind. We must continue to push to protect our service members while working to build a world free of war and violence.
This #MemorialDay, we honor those who served and lost their lives for our country, and we hold in our hearts the loved ones they’ve left behind.
We must continue to push to protect our service members while working to build a world free of war and violence.
— Congresswoman Cori Bush (@RepCori) May 27, 2024
Despite the corrected posts, users responded with screenshots of the original posts.
Gone but not forgotten https://t.co/0bvMO5L8aY pic.twitter.com/IVU9JvgRLL
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) May 27, 2024
THIS YOU? https://t.co/I213RCHpUp
— ℎ (@chiIIum) May 27, 2024
As of Monday afternoon, other Squad members like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Gregorio Casar (D-TX) had not posted anything. However, Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Summer Lee (D-PA), and Delia Ramirez (D-IL) shared posts honoring fallen troops relevant to Memorial Day.
