Rep. Dusty Johnson introduces 'Mount Rushmore Protection Act' after ex-NBA player calls to retire phrase

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

FOX EXCLUSIVE: Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota introduced a bill Friday to protect the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in response to calls by former NBA player and ESPN analyst Jalen Rose to retire the use of "Mount Rushmore" when listing all-time greats over claims it is "offensive." 

The Mount Rushmore Protection Act prohibits the use of federal funds "to alter, change, destroy or remove the likeness, the name of or any of the faces on the Mount Rushmore National Memorial," according to a press release from Johnson’s office. 

The busts of U.S. presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln tower over the Black Hills at Mount Rushmore National Monument July 1, 2020, in Keystone, S.D.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

"The four presidents on Mount Rushmore championed the cause of freedom," Johnson told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

"Our nation has an imperfect past, but the calls to cancel Mount Rushmore will not move our nation forward. My legislation ensures the protection and beauty of Mount Rushmore for generations to come."

‘MOUNT RUSHMORE’ TERM IS ‘OFFENSIVE’ AND SHOULD BE ‘RETIRED,’ ESPN’S JALEN ROSE SAYS

The bill was introduced in response to a video posted to social media by Rose earlier this month when the former NBA player called on the public to "retire using ‘Mount Rushmore'" when listing the all-time greats across sports, music and entertainment. 

"Can we retire using ‘Mount Rushmore?' That should be offensive to all of us, especially Native Americans, the Indigenous people who were the first people here before Christopher Columbus." Rose said. 

"That land was stolen from