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House Passes Bill Codifying Definition of Antisemitism

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  May 02, 2024 11:15 AM

On Wednesday, the House passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023, sponsored by Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), who spoke to Townhall to preview his bill earlier in the week. The bill passed with a vote of 320-91, receiving both bipartisan opposition and support, and also had cosponsors from both sides of the aisle. The bill would codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism. 

As Lawler reminded when speaking from the House floor in support of his bill, protests on college campuses against Jewish students have gotten out of control, including with calls for "intifada" as well as "death to America" and "death to Israel," among others.

"The Jewish people need our support now! They need action now! They need to know they have a place in our country now! They cannot fight antisemitism alone, and they shouldn't have to either," Lawler insisted.

As he went on to explain, his bill "requires the Department of Education to use the IHRA working definition and its contemporary examples when enforcing Title VI violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1964." Lawler also highlighted school failures as he pointed out that "codifying a single definition of antisemitism will help the Department of Education and school administrators who have been feckless clearly identify instances of antisemitism and protect the safety of all students, including Jewish students!"

The "no" votes came from the usual suspects, including Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and also all members of the Squad.

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Many of the other 20 Republicans voting against the bill included members of the House Freedom Caucus (HFC). Many members of the HFC did vote in favor of the bill, however, such as the current chairman, Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), and founding member Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who chairs the House Judiciary Committee. 

The unanimous opposition from the Squad is unsurprising, but still telling. As Lawler made reference to, the vote comes as pro-Hamas student protests have gotten out of control. Late on Tuesday night, the NYPD finally stepped in to deal with the situation at Columbia University, a move which received staunch opposition from Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), members of the so-called "Squad" from New York. 

Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), another "Squad" member, voted against the bill even as she shared a message celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month from her official X account.

Among the 70 total Democrats opposed also included Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee who is himself Jewish and an alumni of Columbia University. As Lawler told Fox News on Tuesday morning, Nadler even sponsored a version of the bill in previous sessions of Congress.

However, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) voted in favor of the bill, as did other members of House Democratic leadership, including Democratic House Conference Chair Pete Aguilar (D-CA) and Vice Chair Ted Lieu (D-CA). Other members who have voted against Republican bills addressing antisemitism before also voted in favor of this particular bill, including Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Dan Goldman (D-NY). 

Lawler has repeatedly called out those opposed to his bill from both social media and during his media appearances. 

Lawler has also called on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), a point he also emphasized when speaking to Townhall. Schumer, who had previously been relatively quiet on the issue of terrorist sympathizers taking over college campuses, including and especially in his own state, briefly spoke from the Senate floor on Tuesday to address the matter. Lawler told Townhall his speech "while fine, [it] doesn't go far enough."