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Columbus, Ohio, Cancels Columbus Day

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Grace Carr Reporter
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Columbus, Ohio, isn’t officially observing the holiday for the man after which it’s named, explorer and colonist Christopher Columbus, for the first time.

The city canceled the Monday holiday so it can celebrate Veterans Day in November, claiming it does not have enough money to allow federal employees to take off both Columbus Day and Veterans Day, according to USA Today.

“We have a number of veterans who work for the city, and there are so many here in Columbus,” Mayor Andrew Ginther’s spokeswoman Robin Davis said. “We thought it was important to honor them with that day off.”

The day is not being replaced with an observation of Indigenous People’s Day, according to Davis. Political motivation over Columbus’s place in history as a colonist did not cause the city to cancel the holiday, USA Today reported.

The cancellation of the holiday comes after a number of other cities across the country ceased celebrating the Italian explorer’s ventures to instead honor the American Indians who inhabited the lands Columbus discovered. Columbus first came to the Americas in 1492 when he arrived on the Caribbean islands, issuing in a new era of transatlantic exploration.

“On Columbus Day, we commemorate the achievements of this skilled Italian explorer and recognize his courage, will power, and ambition — all values we cherish as Americans,” President Donald Trump said in a Saturday press release(RELATED: Trump Unashamedly Celebrates Columbus Day)

San Francisco, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Seattle, Phoenix and Denver replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day or Native American Day. Whole states, including Vermont, Oregon, Minnesota, South Dakota and Alaska, have also stopped celebrating the national holiday, according to CNN.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine did not respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment in time for publication.

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