Remember when Republicans finally relented in their steadfast defense of the Confederate flag when that symbol of racism and hate became untenably unpopular following the Charleston mass shooting just over a year ago, and got all kinds of unwarranted credit for it? Well, their true colors returned this week, as Republicans in Congress stripped an already-passed ban on Confederate flags at cemeteries from a bill that’s supposed to finally fund efforts to fight the Zika virus.

Although the media has largely ignored this story in favor of the false unity narrative, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest took several shots at Republicans over their newfound oldfound affection for the Confederate flag:

Republicans now apparently see the Zika funding as the vehicle to allow the display of Confederate flags in cemeteries across the country. I don’t really understand what that has to do with the Zika virus and protecting pregnant women, but that’s the vehicle that Republicans have apparently chosen to use in order to ram through a partisan measure.

Democrats filibustered the new bill, which also included provisions targeting Planned Parenthood. The Confederate flag amendment that was stripped had been passed in the House, but with 158 Republicans voting against it, with only 84 Republicans joining Democrats to pass the ban. That ban would only have applied to “large-scale” displays in federal cemeteriesm, and would still have allowed for Confederate flags on individual graves. There is no scientific evidence that any display repels mosquitoes or otherwise mitigates the Zika virus.

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