Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida introduced an amendment to the rules of the House Judiciary Committee that would require that each meeting begins with the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, but many of his Democratic colleagues were not on board with that idea.

On Wednesday, Gaetz invited Staff Sergeant Corey Beekman, a Purple Heart recipient who lives in Gaetz's district, to lead the committee in the Pledge of Allegiance to open its first meeting.

Staff Sergeant Corey Beekman is a Purple Heart recipient, an American hero, and a constituent of mine from Florida’s First District.

This morning, it was my distinct honor to introduce him to the House Judiciary Committee to lead us in the first Pledge of Allegiance. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/hhL2L6qNEt

— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) February 1, 2023

Gaetz then followed the Pledge by proposing that a new amendment be added to the committee's rules requiring that all committee meetings begin with the Pledge, as a way to honor American heroes by inviting them to lead the pledge before meetings.

This made many of the Democrats on the committee uneasy, and some came out in opposition to this new amendment.

One of which was Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island, who introduced an amendment barring those who supported "insurrection" against the government from leading the pledge.

While he probably had in mind Trump supporters who were skeptical of the 2020 election results, Gaetz was quick to reply that by that definition, there were several Democrats who were guilty of that as well, as they have refused to accept election results in the past.

I just introduced an amendment in the House Judiciary Committee to recite the Pledge of Allegiance before every meeting.

This is common sense. Why does patriotism make Democrats so heated? pic.twitter.com/Jl8E67vQdp

— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) February 1, 2023

Meanwhile, Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York objected to the amendment on the grounds that he already had to recite the pledge on the House floor.

Unbelievable. @RepJerryNadler just said he opposes @RepMattGaetz's offer to say the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE before Judiciary Committee meetings. pic.twitter.com/ynaw3Wqoz6

— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) February 1, 2023

This is an absolutely lame excuse. All elected officials need to be reminded before they carry out their business that their role is to serve the American people. Saying the pledge before all meetings is a great way to ensure that they never lose sight of that responsibility.

Meanwhile, Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas came out in support of Gaetz's amendment, saying that it was "necessary" to say the Pledge before meetings and expressing disgust at how it became a political issue.

Thank you @RepWesleyHunt for this terrific debate in support of my amendment to start our committee hearings with the Pledge of Allegiance!https://t.co/m8gAZ97dLD pic.twitter.com/ymZzM8qdn6

— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) February 1, 2023

This really does beg the question: Why are so many Democrats opposed to this simple act of patriotism?

Gaetz did not introduce this amendment as a political stunt, he introduced it as a way to honor American heroes and to ensure that our elected officials remember their responsibilities to the nation.

Why are the Democrats so averse to patriotism? Perhaps it is because leftist cultural institutions are constantly telling us that America is an evil racist country.

We need to be able to restore national pride, and this amendment is a perfect way to do that. There is really no reason that this has to be a partisan issue.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.