FMEP Legislative Round-Up January 31, 2025

Resource

1. Bills, Resolutions
2. Letters
3. Hearings
4. Selected Members on the Record
5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements

1. Bills & Resolutions

Update(TARGETING THE ICC) HR 23: On 1/28/25, Senate leaders sought to end debate on HR 23 (“invoke cloture”) in order to bring the measure to a vote. That vote, which required at least 60 “yes” votes to pass,  FAILED by a vote of 54-45. All Republicans voted in favor; all Democrats present–other than Fetterman (D-PA)–voted against. Floor speeches/grandstanding is here.

New

(THE RETURN – AGAIN – OF THE ISRAEL ANTI-BOYCOTT ACT) Lawler press release 1/31/25: Lawler and Gottheimer Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Stop International Governmental Organizations from Discriminating Against Israel. Also see:

  • Jewish Insider 1/31/25: “Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) are set to reintroduce the IGO Anti-Boycott Act today, which expands existing anti-boycott laws to include international organizations…
  • REMINDER: Lawler and Gottheimer introduced this same bill in 2023 (HR 3016) – for details of the legislation, the members’ statements around it, and how it fared in the last Congress, see the 5/5/23 and 2/16/24 editions of the Round-Up.

(TARGETING IRAN) S. Res. 43: Introduced 1/29/25 by Graham (R-SC), Fetterman (D-PA) and Britt (R-AL), “A resolution affirming the threats to world stability from a nuclear weapons-capable Islamic Republic of Iran. Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

 

2. Letters

None.

3. Hearings

February 5, 2025: The House Committee on Education and the Workforce will hold a hearing entitled, “The State of American Education.” No details are yet available, but past hearings in this committee have repeatedly focused on attacking campuses for permitting protest and/or criticism of Israel, or academic content that is inconsistent with a pro-Israel/Zionist agenda. Also see: Committee press release.

January 30, 2025: The Senate Intelligence Committee held a hearing to consider the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard to be Director of National Intelligence. Also see:

January 30, 2025: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a business meeting on the nomination of Elise Stefanik as US Ambassador to the UN to the Senate floor. The Committee voted to advance the nomination to the full Senate, with 6 Democrats voting “no” in protest of President Trump’s suspension of foreign aid. Also see:

 

4. Selected Members on the Record

  • Graham (R-SC) 1/30/25: Graham Statement on Passing of Robbi Force [mother of Taylor Force, whose murder became the hook for Graham-led legislation banning US aid to the PA]
  • Rosen (D-NV) 1/29/25: Rosen Named Ranking Member of Senate Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism [“At a time of unrest throughout the Middle East, U.S. leadership is needed more than ever to support Israel, oppose Iranian aggression, and navigate political transitions in Syria and Lebanon. I look forward to working with Chairman Dave McCormick to tackle these complex challenges and maintain strong, bipartisan support for the US-Israel relationship.”]
  • Mace (R-SC) 1/29/25: in response to Trump EO to deport students who foreign protest for Palestinian lives/rights, X-post– “If you’re standing with Hamas, you’re either a terrorist or someone who supports terrorism, and either way, you’re a direct threat to the safety and security of this nation.
  • Welch (D-VT) 1/29/25: Welch Speaks on the Senate Floor About the Ceasefire in Gaza
  • Welch (D-VT) 1/28/25: X-post – “Just as I said during the last administration: America shouldn’t give Israel 2,000-pound bombs to drop on one of the most densely populated areas in the world. We should help bring the remaining hostages home, surge aid for civilians in need, and create a lasting peace.
  • Turner (R-OH) 1/28/25: X-post – “Israel’s Iron Dome, jointly developed with the United States, has long been a proven, effective deterrent against Iran and its proxies. I look forward to working with @POTUS and @SecDef to accomplish the Iron Dome for America.”
  • Cotton (R-AR) 1/26/25: X-post – “<>We predicted that Hamas might break the terms of the deal and that’s apparently exactly what happened yesterday. If Hamas wants to continue this ceasefire, they need to respect every single term of that deal.”
  • Frankel (D-FL) 1/25/25: Frankel Lauds the Release of Four IDF Hostages and the Israel-Hamas Agreement
  • Van Hollen (D-MD) and Jacobs (D-CA) 1/24/25: Van Hollen, Jacobs Confirm UAE Providing Weapons to RSF in Sudan, in Contradiction to its Assurances to US
  • Tlaib (D-MI) 1/24/25: X-post – “The Israeli apartheid regime is continuing to kill Palestinian children in Gaza and the West Bank. Palestinians have been so dehumanized that it hasn’t even made headlines. The ethnic cleansing has not ended. They will never stop until there’s an arms embargo.

5. Selected Media

Congress Shall Stand with Israel!

(Greater) Israel Engagement with Congress

  • Jewish Insider 1/29/25: New Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter makes first trip to Capitol Hill
  • Bet El (settlement in West Bank) Friends (by Yisrael Ganz, Head of the Binyamin Regional Council and Chairman of the Yesha Council) 1/29/25: Made-in-Jerusalem Decisions, with Help From Washington [“…I was privileged to take part in this important ceremony, in which the new leader of the superpower of the U.S. was crowned, as the representative of all residents of Binyamin and all those of Judea and Samaria (Yesha). The invitation to the United States’ most prestigious ceremony reflects the appreciation that senior Trump Administration officials have for Judea and Samaria in particular, and for Israel in general…After having spoken to many senior officials in Washington, I can say with certainty that if our Prime Minister places this matter at the top of his priorities in his meeting with President Trump, the chances are good that within a relatively short time, we will be able to take a great step towards this goal. Within the Administration, as well as the House of Representatives and the Senate, we saw that there is great potential support for this initiative. As usual, the way to actualize this is by making the right decisions back home in the Jewish State. Many influential members of Congress see us, the Israelis, as the torch-bearers of the Biblical legacy, and believe that the Holy Land is Divinely ours. Others simply understand who are the good guys in the Middle East, and recognize that we in Yesha and Israel represent the frontlines in the free world’s battle against the axis of evil. Over the past years of contact with several Congressional members, we constantly reminded them of the need to retract the unfair sanctions that the Biden Administration placed upon individuals and organizations in Yesha. These precious friends of ours fulfilled their promises, and within a half-hour of Mr. Trump’s taking office, he signed an Executive Order voiding the sanctions. He thus sent an important message regarding the future of Judea and Samaria…“]

Other stuff