By Adam Kredo, FREE BEACON
Republicans offered the anti-Semitism measure as an amendment to a piece of Democrat-backed legislation promoting greater inclusivity in federal programs. The bill, dubbed the Equity and Inclusion Enforcement Act, would permit the filing of private civil suits for violations of federal regulations that “prohibit discrimination on the ground of race, color, or national origin in programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance.” The Republican amendment, which passed by a vote of 265 to 164, with 162 Democrats in opposition, mandates that anti-Semitism also be considered as discrimination.
The Republican effort to include anti-Semitism in federal definitions of discrimination follows similar moves by the White House to consider discrimination against Jewish people illegal under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which affords protection to minorities and other groups. House Democrats have been divided in recent years on issues of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel advocacy in the United States. The latest vote highlights a deep divide between Democrats and Republicans on the issue, which is playing out against the backdrop of rising anti-Semitism across the globe.
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R., N.C.), sponsor of the anti-Semitism amendment, said that any legislation altering Title VI must include protections for Jewish Americans.
“We should use this opportunity to show commitment to combating anti-Semitism,” Foxx said. “With anti-Semitism on the rise around the world, the need for this amendment is clear.”
Would be interesting to have the list of both sides who supported antisemitism.
Ted,
It’s interesting to contrast how another news outlet covered the vote on the bill:
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/516761-house-passes-bill-to-allow-private-lawsuits-against-public-schools-for
According to the above article, did more Democrats than Republicans vote for this law? The article does not say.
The vote was entirely along party lines, Democrats in favor, Republicans against. https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2020192
Why is the Republican addition to the bill described as merely a “procedural victory”? It is not clear from the article.
The answer is that Republicans supported the addition of a clause including antisemitism as prohibited discrimination, but they opposed the bill in itself. The vote on including this clause may be called “procedural.” Republicans voted in favor of it while Democrats were largely against it.
https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2020191
This point was the focus in conservative websites: https://freebeacon.com/democrats/162-house-dems-vote-against-measure-to-combat-anti-semitism/
https://thespectator.info/2020/09/21/162-democrats-vote-against-amendment-to-protect-jewish-students-from-antisemitism-at-school/
https://dailycaller.com/2020/09/18/measure-to-fight-anti-semitism-opposed-by-house-democrats/
And quoted here:
https://www.stopantisemitism.org/antisemitic-incidents-48/162-house-democrats-vote-against-measure-to-fight-antisemitism
According to the thehill.com article, why does the bill face an uphill battle in the Republican controlled Senate? Why would Republicans oppose it? The only reason given is a quote from Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.): “…this bill radically alters civil rights law without giving any consideration to its potential ramifications.”
We must look elsewhere for further explanation. “Most Republicans opposed the underlying bill [HR2574] for creating new federal government mandates in local education,” said Concerned Women for America, quoted in the above article by the spectator.info. Meaning, they don’t want to further involve the federal government in local problems. Seemingly, the divide here between parties (besides whether to include antisemitism as unacceptable bigotry) is Republicans prefer, where possible, local control of laws and resources while Democrats prefer centralized control.
It is my impression that the mainstream media would have us believe Republicans are bigots (that is, evil) while Democrats are not. However, it may be that Democrat controlled cities and states are the most discriminatory: “New York remains the most segregated state for African American students with 65% of African American students in intensely segregated minority schools. California is the most segregated for Latinos, where 58% attend intensely segregated schools, and the typical Latino student is in a school with only 15% white classmates.” – https://www.civilrightsproject.ucla.edu/research/k-12-education/integration-and-diversity/harming-our-common-future-americas-segregated-schools-65-years-after-brown
See also https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/07/08/how-school-desegregation-became-third-rail-democratic-politics/