Some House Democrats are fuming over a vote scheduled for Wednesday by Speaker Mike Johnson that could force them to side against elements on the left that are protesting against Israel.
Anti-Semitic, far-left demonstrators have taken over college campuses while lawmakers, such as Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, have sided with their cause.
But not all Democrats have come right out and stated their support for the protests.
The issue is one some would presumably hope to avoid, given support for Palestinians is strong among many Democratic voters more than six months after Hamas killed more than 1,200 Israelis last year.
Johnson scheduled a vote Wednesday on Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York’s Antisemitism Awareness Act.
The legislation has bipartisan support and would be adopted by the Department of Education if enacted.
As Axios noted, the bill uses definitions of anti-Semitism adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
The IHRA stated it is anti-Semitic to claim “the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.”
The group added another example of anti-Semitism to compare “contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.”
Do you support the Antisemitism Awareness Act?
Yes: 96% (552 Votes)
No: 4% (24 Votes)
Given that Israel stands accused of genocide by many pro-Hamas demonstrators and that many on the left often accuse Israel of illegally occupying land they say belongs to Arabs, the bill will force some Democrats into a tough situation.
They could either alienate some of their own voters or be known as people who voted against awareness of anti-Semitism.
One person described as a senior House Democrat told Axios of the bill, “It could be divisive.”
Numerous House Democrats were willing to comment on the bill publicly.
Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington said, ”I don’t like that the Republicans, and some members of our own party, just keep bringing these things up and weaponizing what is a truly serious issue.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the bill should be replaced by one called the Countering Antisemitism Act that does not use IHRA definitions for anti-Semitism.
“The effort to crush anti-Semitism and hatred in any form is not a Democratic or Republican issue,” Jeffries stated of Wednesday’s vote on Lawler’s bill. “It’s an American issue that must be addressed in a bipartisan manner with the fierce urgency of now.”
One House Democrat, Rep. Kathy Manning of North Carolina, called the bill “political” in nature.
Meanwhile, Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland said numerous others had privately shared with him their frustration with Lawler’s bill.
“A number of members have expressed to me their frustration that this is what’s being presented instead of both bills,” Raskin said.
