FMEP Legislative Round-Up November 15, 2024

Resource

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

New:

1. Bills & Resolutions

(ENABLING TRUMP ADMIN TO STRIP ANY NGO OF NON-PROFIT STATUS, USING SUPPORT FOR PALESTINIANS AS THE HOOK FOR PASSAGE) HR 9495 (text): Introduced 9/9/24 by Tenney (R-NY) and 3 bipartisan cosponsors – Kustoff (R-TN), Schneider (D-IL) & Titus (D-NV) –”To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to postpone tax deadlines and reimburse paid late fees for United States nationals who are unlawfully or wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad, to terminate the tax-exempt status of terrorist supporting organizations, and for other purposes.” NOTE: This bill takes the text of the extremely controversial HR 6408 / S. 1436 (“To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to terminate the tax-exempt status of terrorist supporting organizations“) and melds it at a totally mom-and-apple-pie legislation HR 7791 / S. 4057 (“To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to postpone tax deadlines and reimburse paid late fees for United States nationals who are unlawfully or wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad, and for other purposes.“)

  • 11/12/24 – Brought to the House floor under suspension of the rules (requiring a 2/3 vote to pass) & DEFEATED by a vote of 256-145 (with 52 Democrats voting “yes” and 1 Republican voting “no”). Floor debate on the bill is here. Also see social media & members’ websites for statements for/against the bill. For extra fun see: Gottheimer (D-NJ) 11/13/24: X-post – “America cannot allow support for any terrorist organization, especially one that threatens our nation or our key ally, Israel. In case there is any confusion, last night’s bipartisan vote was about one thing: ensuring that no terrorist organization — including antisemitic, anti-American Iranian-backed groups like Hamas, PIJ, and Hezbollah — can threaten our democracy, national security, and American lives. Ensuring the safety of all Americans, especially the US hostage families, is not a partisan issue. It’s one we must all work together to urgently address.
  • 11/13/24 – House Rules Committee announced that the bill will be marked up in the Rules Committee on 11/18/24, paving the way for it to be brought to the floor under normal order (where it needs only a simple majority to pass)

Coverage of the bill over past week:

Deeper dive: Below is an excerpt from coverage of this bill in the 9/13/24 edition of the Round-Up, when it was originally introduced as HR 6408 and passed by the House under suspension of the Rules by a vote of 383–11. Also see my 11/6/24 X-thread on the bill. As a reminder, passage of the bill back in September sparked a (belated) public debate over the implications of the bill for all non-profit organizations, including expressions of deep concern/opposition from across the political spectrum. The bill subsequently stalled in the Senate.

(ANTISEMITISM AWARENESS ACT — UPDATE) The Forward 11/15/24: Senate moves to pass contentious antisemitism bill targeting anti-Israel activity on campuses [yet another piece mis-reporting the story to suggest that the only opposition to the bill comes from the Left); Jewish Insider 11/15/24: Schumer moves to add Antisemitism Awareness Act to 2025 defense bill — Sen. Chuck Schumer put forth the bill as an amendment in negotiations with congressional leaders; if successful, the legislation is on the fast-track to passage. Also see:

(STAND WITH ISRAEL AGAINST EVIL UNITED NATIONS) S. 5303 [pdf of bill]: Introduced 11/13/24 by Risch (R-ID) and 33 all-Republican co-sponsors, “A bill to amend the United Nations Participation Act of 1945 to provide for a prohibition on contributions to the United Nations related to discrimination against Israel.” Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. Notably, on 11/14/24, Risch (R-ID) issued a press release, Sen. Rick Scott Joins Sen. Jim Risch, 32 Colleagues in Introducing Stand with Israel Act to Combat Israel’s Persecution at UN, sparking media coverage and X-posts/press releases from backers – Scott (R-FL), Kennedy (R-LA), Britt (R-ID), Crapo (R-ID). If this BIG NEWS sounds familiar, that’s because on 10/23/24, Sen. Risch (R-ID) issued a press release — Risch to Lead 27 Colleagues in Introducing Stand with Israel Act to Combat Israel’s Persecution at UN [pdf of bill] – covered in the 10/25/25 edition of the Round-Up (yes, he announced the bill twice). Like the companion House version – HR 9374 (introduced 8/16/24 by Lawler (R-NY) and now having 39 cosponsors, including 4 Democrats – Gottheimer, D-NY, Moskowitz, D-FL, Landsman, D-OH, and Davis, D-NC, and covered in the 8/23/24 edition of the Round-Up), this bill  would cut off US funding to the UN itself, or any UN agency, etc., “that expels, downgrades or suspends membership, or otherwise restricts the participation of Israel such that it may not participate fully and equivalently with other Member States of the United Nations or the respective fund, program, specialized agency, or other related entity.” Risch notes in his original press release (which includes equally enraged, juicy quotes from his GOP cosponsors): “Any attempt to alter Israel’s status at the UN is clearly anti-Semitic… That said, if the UN member states allow the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization to downgrade Israel’s status at the UN, the U.S. must stop supporting the UN system, as it would clearly be beyond repair. I am disgusted that this outrageous idea has even been discussed, and will do all we can to ensure any changes to Israel’s status will come with consequences.

(BARRING HAMAS/TERRORISTS FROM IMMIGRATION TO THE US) S. 5304 (bill text): Introduced 11/13/24 by Blackburn (R-TN) and Rosen (D-NV), the “No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act,” aka “A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to deny immigration benefits to aliens who carried out, participated in, planned, financed, supported, or otherwise facilitated the recent attacks against Israel.”  NOTE: Aliens who are affiliated with US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations or who have engaged in or supported acts of terror are ALREADY BARRED from obtaining both immigrant and non-immigrant visas to the United States. Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. The key phrase in this legislation seems to be “otherwise facilitated,” which based on the press release seems to be widening the ban to include all those deeded to be “Hamas sympathizers.”  Also see press release – Blackburn, Rosen Introduce “No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act”; Senators introduce bill, which passed House 422-2, blocking Oct. 7 terrorists from entering US (Jewish News Syndicate 11/15/24)

(REGIONAL CAPABILITY TO DEAL WITH IRAN SPACE THREAT) HR 10108: Introduced 11/8/24 by Panetta (D-CA) and 3 cosponsors,  “To require the Secretary of Defense to develop, in cooperation with allies and partners in the Middle East, an integrated space and satellite security capability, and for other purposes.” Referred to the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Armed Services. Also see press release – Rep. Panetta Leads Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Increase Satellite Security and Counter Space Threats Posed by Iran. The press release notes, “This legislation has been included in the House and Senate versions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2025 and is co-introduced with Representatives Zach Nunn (IA-03), Brad Schneider (IL-10), and David Trone (MD-06). Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) are leading the Senate’s version.”

2. Letters

(PROMISING JEWISH STUDENTS THAT THE SENATE WILL NOT STAND BY AND ALLOW CRITICISM OF ISRAEL/ZIONISM ON CAMPUS!) 11/15/24: U.S. Senator Katie Britt Pens Letter Supporting Jewish College Students, Condemning Rise in Antisemitism Across American Campuses [letter text]. Also see: ‘I And My Colleagues Won’t Stand for This’: Republican Sen. Katie Britt Warns Universities Anti-Semitism Crackdown is Coming with New Majority (Washington Free Beacon 11/15/24)

(TARGETING DEPT OF ED FUNDING FOR “EXTREMIST, ANTI-ISRAEL PROFESSORS) 11/15/24: Blackburn, Lummis Slam Biden’s Education Department for Funneling Taxpayer Dollars to Terrorist-Sympathizing Professors [letter text]. Also see: Senate Republicans question Department of Education Middle East studies grants (Jewish Insider 11/15/24)

(CRACK DOWN ON ISRAELI MKS PROMOTING SETTLER VIOLENCE) 11/14/24: Casten, DeLauro, Van Hollen, Durbin Lead More than 80 Lawmakers in Bicameral Push Urging Biden Administration to Sanction Members of the Netanyahu Government, Others for Actions to Incite Violence, Expand Settlements in the West Bank [letter text, dated 10/29/24]. Also see:

(GET TOUGH ON QATAR) 11/8/24: Senators Wicker, Risch, and Colleagues Press Biden-Harris Administration to Reverse Policy Toward State of Qatar [letter text]

3. Hearings & Markups

None.

4. Selected Members on the Record

NOTE: Lots of members made comments about Trump’s cabinet picks – check out social media & members’ websites for what specific members said.

Biden Decision Re: Israel Blocking Humanitarian Aid to Gaza

  • Tlaib (D-MI) 11/14/24: X-postUS law is clear: No nation blocking US humanitarian aid can receive US weapons. Palestinian children are forced to eat pet food and bug infested flour, but @SecBlinken says there’s no need to change our policy. The Biden administration is refusing to comply with US law.”
  • Lee (D-PA) 11/12/24: X-post – “Israel is blocking aid into Gaza and starving Palestinians while continuing to receive US-made weapons paid for by our tax dollars. The White House is failing to do what US law requires, and what the majority of Americans want: Stop sending weapons to Israel.”
  • Welch (D-VT) 11/12/24: Welch Reacts to Biden Administration’s Failure to Withhold Offensive Military Aid to Israel 
  • Pocan (D-WI) 11/12/24: X-post – “Israel failed to meet requirements to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza. People are needlessly starving. It’s past time we withhold deadly arms sales to Israel and urge peace now.
  • Welch (D-VT) 11/11/24: Welch Urges Biden Administration to Withhold Offensive Military Aid to Israel

Members Meet with Hostages’ Families

  • Diaz-Balart (R-FL) 11/14/24: Congressional Latino-Jewish Caucus Meet with Former Hostage and Families of Current Hostages Held by Hamas
  • Schumer (D-NY) 11/13/24: X-postTonight, I met with the families of Americans still—still—horrifically being held hostage by Hamas more than one year after October 7th. We must and we will keep working to bring the hostages home and reunite them with their families.
  • Moran (R-TX) 11/13/24: X-post – “Earlier today, I met with family members of the hostages held in captivity by Hamas terrorists. During our conversation, I reaffirmed my commitment to Israel and the immediate release of their loved ones. It’s past time for the Biden Administration to step up and do what needs to be done to #BringThemHomeNow.

Other stuff

5. Selected Media