These 14 House lawmakers voted ‘no’ — not ‘present’ or ‘aye’ — on a resolution condemning antisemitism
Fourteen House lawmakers voted against a GOP-led resolution Tuesday “denouncing the drastic rise of antisemitism” in the U.S. and around the world after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, with many of the detractors accusing the legislation of conflating criticisms of the Israeli government with antisemitism.
The resolution stated that anti-Zionism is antisemitism.
The chamber cleared the resolution in a 311-14-92 vote, with 13 Democrats and one Republican voting “no.”
Ninety-two Democrats voted “present” after three prominent Jewish Democrats urged members of the conference to do so. They called the legislation “the latest unserious attempt by Republicans to weaponize Jewish pain and the serious problem of antisemitism to score cheap political points.”
The resolution, which spans four pages, “strongly condemns” all forms of antisemitism; reaffirms the House’s strong support for the Jewish community in the U.S. and around the globe; calls on elected officials and world leaders to condemn and fight all forms of antisemitism; rejects all forms of terror, hate, discrimination and harassment against individuals in the Jewish community; and “clearly and firmly states that anti-Zionism is antisemitism.”
It comes after the Anti-Defamation League reported, citing preliminary data, a 388 percent increase in antisemitism incidents of harassment, vandalism and assault in the roughly two weeks after Hamas’s attack on Israel.
Here are the 14 lawmakers who voted “no” instead of present.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.)
Bowman in a statement said that while he “strongly condemn[s] antisemitism and hate in all of its forms,” he voted against the resolution because “it fuels division and violence, conflates criticism of the Israeli government with antisemitism, and ignores one of the greatest threats to the Jewish community, white nationalism.”
Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.)
Bush argued in a post on X following the vote that she opposed the antisemitism resolution “because it dangerously conflates criticism of the far-right Israeli government with antisemitism.
“We need genuine action, not political games,” she wrote, arguing that the measure “doesn’t protect our Jewish neighbors facing alarming rises in antisemitism.”
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.)
Connolly told The Hill in a statement: “What I refuse to do is support a resolution that suppresses free speech and labels all anti-Zionism, including anti-Zionism espoused by members of the Jewish community, as antisemitism.”
“That is wrong, disingenuous, and dishonest, and I will not support it,” he added.
The Virginia Democrat also argued that Republicans “shamefully attempted to exploit the pain of the Jewish community to score cheap political points.”
“I have always emphatically and strongly supported the State of Israel and its right to exist, and I will continue to do so. I have condemned antisemitism repeatedly, as should every decent human being, and I will continue to do so,” he added.
Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.)
Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.)
Grijalva told The Hill in a statement that Tuesday’s vote on the antisemitism resolution “was unconscionable and unacceptable.”
“I voted against the Republican resolution today because it was unnuanced and failed to meet the seriousness of the moment to confront the urgent and widespread threat of antisemitism. The vote today was meant to divide us and use the Jewish people as a pawn in House Republicans’ game of politics,” he wrote.
“I condemn antisemitism and stand ready to work with my colleagues and collaborate on real solutions, not divisive resolutions, to address rising antisemitism, hate crimes, and protect Americans from harassment, discrimination, and abuse,” he added.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.)
Jayapal in a post on X said the antisemitism resolution on the floor Tuesday “inappropriately said all anti-Zionism is antisemitism.”
“We must be steadfast & clear in condemning antisemitism. The extreme GOP resolution on the floor today had no Democratic cosponsors & inappropriately said all anti-Zionism is antisemitism. Muddying the waters about what antisemitism is, is completely wrong and unhelpful,” she wrote.
Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.)
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.)
Massie, the lone GOP “no” vote, announced in a post on X that he would oppose the legislation, writing: “Anti-Zionism isn’t antisemitism.”
He quoted Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), a prominent Jewish Democrat, who said on the House floor: “The resolution … states that all anti-Zionism is antisemitism. That is either intellectually disingenuous or just factually wrong.”
Nadler was one of the 92 Democrats who voted “present” and was one of three Jewish Democrats urging members to vote “present.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)
Omar, who called the GOP-sponsored antisemitism resolution “extreme and cynical,” said the legislation “does nothing to combat antisemitism, relies on a definition that conflates criticism of the Israeli government with antisemitism, paints critics of the Israeli government as antisemites and falsely states that anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism.”
“We must stand against any attempt to define legitimate criticism of this war and the government perpetrating it as antisemitism,” she added in a statement.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.)
Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.)
Ramirez told The Hill in a statement that while all should “unequivocally stand against islamophobia and antisemitism in all their forms,” the definition of antisemitism in the resolution “sets a dangerous precedent.”
“It is dangerous to conflate antisemitism with the criticism of the Israeli state or the extreme and xenophobic nationalist policies they have supported. Nationalist movements deny our shared humanity and interconnectedness. As we advocate for a lasting peace, we must stand strong against the nationalist politics of division that dehumanize others and incite violence,” she said.
The Illinois Democrat also expressed support for a two-state solution.
“I am committed to a self-determined future where both Palestinians and Israelis are able to live freely and safely. I support a two-state solution and affirm both Palestine and Israel’s right to exist as sovereign states. To realize that future, states and leaders cannot be above criticism, nor can we stifle dissent and the exercise of free speech,” she said.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.)
Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American member of Congress, wrote on X after the vote: “Opposing the policies of the government of Israel and Netanyahu’s extremism is not antisemitic. Speaking up for human rights and a ceasefire to save lives should never be condemned. I voted against H. Res. 894.
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.)
Watson Coleman argued in a statement that Tuesday’s measure “offers no solutions” and said “it is unfortunate that the Republican resolution H.Res. 894 does nothing but create a more divisive environment during what is already an emotionally charged time.”
She also said the GOP sponsors of the legislation “have no intention of making it a bipartisan effort, bringing people together, or facilitating a safer and more inclusive environment for our Jewish communities.”
“In fact, it does the exact opposite. It further divides the country and shifts us further away from unity, peace, and a true two-state solution,” she added.
The Hill reached out to the lawmakers who voted against the resolution for comment.
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