U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), flanked by Representative Joaquin Castro (D-TX) (L) and House Democrats, holds a news conference about their proposed resolution to terminate U.S. President Trump’s Emergency Declaration on the southern border with Mexico, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. February 25, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst The House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry by a margin of 407-23.
Every House Democrat voted in favor of the March 7 resolution, including Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), whose recent dual loyalty comments prompted the drafting of the resolution. The 23 House members who voted against it were all Republicans:
23 Rs voted No on anti-hate resolution
Biggs-AZ
Brooks-AL
Buck -CO
Budd -NC
Burgess-YX
Cheney-WY,GOP Conf Chair
Collins-NY
Conaway-TX
Crawford-AR
Duncan-SC
Gohmert-TX
Gosar-AZ
Graves-GA
King-NY
LaMalfa-CA
Massie-KY
Palazzo-MA
Rogers-AL
Roy-TX
Steube-FL
Walker-NC
Yoho-FL
Zeldin-NY— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) March 7, 2019
Following the vote, Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) said in a speech on the House floor that he voted against the resolution because it should have condemned Omar by name and that she should be removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee:
H.Res.183 was spineless, watered down & filled w moral equivalency & double standards. Watch my floor speech explaining my NO vote to this resolution. Name names & remove Rep Omar from @HouseForeign. No double standards! pic.twitter.com/Rj17P6MHFI
— Lee Zeldin (@LeeMZeldin) March 7, 2019
Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) said in a statement that while he voted in favor of the resolution, he felt “let down by some colleagues who seem to have questioned those of us who feel the weight of history when we hear classic anti-Semitic language – history that has led to targeting Jews, expelling Jews from their countries, violence against Jews, and attempts to exterminate the Jewish people. Anti-Semitism is worthy of being condemned, singularly. I hope this painful week is never repeated in this Congress.”
Dem @RepTedDeutch not happy after the anti-hate resolution passed: "I feel let down…Anti-Semitism is worthy of being condemned, singularly. I hope this painful week is never repeated in this Congress." pic.twitter.com/8x2dxw1zAa
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) March 7, 2019
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt praised the passage of the resolution.
“We are pleased the House of Representatives took a firm stance against anti-Semitism, including making an explicit statement rejecting the pernicious myth of dual loyalty and other vile slurs that have been used to persecute Jews for centuries,” Greenblatt said in a statement. “We strongly agree that anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim bigotry, and other forms of hate constitute a threat to democracy.”
He added, “Through this process, leaders have made clear that what Rep. Ilhan Omar said was anti-Semitic and unacceptable. That is critically important because words matter. When any public figure repeats hurtful anti-Semitic rhetoric, it gives others permission to further spread such hate. It’s on all of us to condemn this bigoted language.”
ADL statement on House vote on #antiSemitism resolution: https://t.co/mNcqCreBQ5 pic.twitter.com/goUsTDsdd0
— ADL (@ADL) March 7, 2019
Simon Wiesenthal Center Dean and Founder Rabbi Marvin Hier and Associate Dean Rabbi Abraham Cooper said in a statement, “We all should welcome public declarations against hate and in defense of religious liberties, above and condemning Omar’s hate, and there will be a time to address those egregious hatreds directly. But casting aside the original resolution, which spoke directly to Rep. Omar’s refusal to own the anti-Semitism that her recent words reflect, sends a message at home and to the world that the U.S. Congress lacks the courage to deal directly and forthrightly with anti-Jewish slanders uttered within its own house.”
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