FMEP Legislative Round-Up: May 31, 2024

Resource

1. Bills, Resolutions
2. Letters
3. Hearings
4. Israel/Palestine in 2024 Elex/Politics
5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements

New from FMEP:

1. Bills & Resolutions

None [Congress not in session this week]

 

2. Letters

[SANCTION THE ICC!!!!] 5/31/24: Nineteen House Dems [out of 213] call for U.S. sanctions on the International Criminal Court (Jewish Insider 5/31/24) [letter text]

[INTERROGATING UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS] 5/29/24: Yale and Michigan Presidents Set to Participate in Transcribed Interviews [“invitation” letter to Yale president; letter to Michigan president] — “this letter provides notice of a transcribed interview with you to be held [date/time/room] in Washington, D.C. Questioning will be conducted by counsel(s) and/or Committee staff designated by the Chair and Ranking Member, respectively. The Majority and the Minority will question you in alternating, hour-long rounds, beginning with Majority staff, until neither side has remaining questions.” Also see: Antisemitism at Yale, Univ. of Michigan to face congressional scrutiny [“The presidents were initially slated to appear for a hearing earlier this month”] (Fox News 5/29/24)

 [DOCUMENTS FISHING EXPEDITION TARGETING AMP & SJP] 5/29/24: Comer Continues to Investigate Groups Funding and Organizing Illegal Encampments and Pro-Hamas Activities in the United States [letter text]. Also see: House committee asks SJP for its funding documents [“The committee is ‘particularly concerned’ that groups promoting Hamas and supporting illegal activities on campuses may be funded by ‘foreign or domestic sources.’”] (Jewish News Syndicate 5/30/24)

[NEED SENIOR US OFFICIAL TO OVERSEE FIGHT AGAINST “ANTISEMITISM” IN HIGHER ED] 5/29/24: Rosen, Lankford Request Department of Education Designate Senior Official to Oversee Efforts to Address Antisemitism on College Campuses [letter text]. Also see: Rosen, Lankford press education secretary to designate official to oversee antisemitism investigations (Jewish Insider 5/29/24)

 

3. Hearings & Markups

6/3/23: The House Rules Committee will hold a business meeting to consider a Rule to bring to the House floor for a vote. HR 8282,To impose sanctions with respect to the International Criminal Court engaged in any effort to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute any protected person of the United States and its allies,” was introduced 5/7/24 by Roy (R-TX) and has 63 Republican cosponsors; there have been no hearings on the bill.

[RESCHEDULED] 6/4/24: The House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability was scheduled to hold a hearing entitled, “Money is Policy: Assessing Shortcomings in the State Department’s Foreign Assistance Grants Process.” Witnesses (a partly new slate for the rescheduled hearing): Robert Destro, former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (a Trump political appointee); James Richardson, State Department Director of the Office of Foreign Assistance; and Tom Malinowski, Former Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.

6/12/24: The House Committee on Education and the Workforce’s Subcommittee on Workforce Protections appears to be planning to hold a hearing related to alleged antisemitism and antisemitic threats. The hearing does not appear on the Committee website at this time, but all three documents submitted in relation to the hearing relate to antisemitism and alleged antisemitic threats (in Texas, Alabama, and Florida) – mostly actual antisemitism (i.e., hatred/threats targeting Jews because they are Jewish), but the Texas document (and ADL report) includes the conflation of Israel-related protest with antisemitism.

 

4. Israel/Palestine in 2024 Politics/Elex

General Analysis and Commentary

Scoring Points & Bashing Members On Israel

Bibi Address to Congress?

New York
Missouri

Michigan

Kentucky

North Dakota

Virginia

Texas

 

5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements

Israel & the ICC & the ICJ

Student protests/Targeting Academia

Other Stuff