Condemning the Rise in Ideologically Motivated Attacks on Jewish Individuals in the United States, Including the Recent Violent Assault in Boulder, Colorado, and Reaffirming the House of Representatives Commitment to Combating Antisemitism and Politically Motivated Violence

Floor Speech

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Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Goldman) for yielding. I also thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Van Drew) for introducing this resolution, and I am proud to co-lead this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, a week ago, my congressional district suffered an unimaginable tragedy when a terrorist by the name of Mohamed Soliman drove over an hour to carry out a horrific act of terror in Boulder, Colorado.

This attacker targeted Jewish members of the Boulder community, literally trying to burn them alive with Molotov cocktails and incendiary devices.

Our community, Mr. Speaker, is reeling from this terrorist attack. This kind of hateful violence and anti-Semitism is spreading across the country. It is metastasizing, and it has deeply shaken the people of my State and the people of my community. The group, the organization that was targeted by this horrific attack, Run for Their Lives, is composed of our neighbors and friends.

Last Sunday, they gathered on the idyllic Pearl Street Mall to take part in a peaceful walk and vigil as they have done every week for the past 2 years, to call for the release of the hostages that were kidnapped and are being held by Hamas in Gaza.

We pray hard, Mr. Speaker, for the 15 victims of this heinous attack, my constituents. Several of these victims are people I know personally. They are friends. I support this bipartisan resolution denouncing anti- Semitism. I continue to stand with those victims, with my constituents, with their families, with our Jewish brothers and sisters as we recommit ourselves to addressing the scourge of anti-Semitism.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I had the privilege of spending some time with several of the victims of this terrible attack. It is hard for me to describe in words, Mr. Speaker, the emotions I felt in seeing their resilience, their strength, their humanity under such incredibly trying circumstances.

It is hard to describe in words, Mr. Speaker, the emotions I felt yesterday walking back in my district in Boulder, Colorado, with thousands of Coloradans, who came from all across Colorado, both of our United States Senators, many community leaders, rabbis, people of all faiths, walking with our Jewish brothers and sisters to condemn this vicious attack and to recommit ourselves in defeating anti-Semitism. That is why I support this resolution.

On a final personal note, I will say that I have had the privilege of serving in this body for 6\1/2\ years. My colleague and I, Mr. Van Drew, entered Congress together. He remembers it well. I thank Mr. Van Drew for approaching me in good faith. Our teams working together put forward a resolution that addresses the enormity of this challenge, this threat that our Jewish constituents and Americans are facing. I am proud to co-lead the resolution with the gentleman, and I think his interaction with our office is a reflection of how things ought to work in this Chamber.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey and the gentleman from New York for their leadership.

Mr. VAN DREW.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado for his kindness and kind words, and yes, it was a pleasure to work with him. He has always consistently, even when we disagree profoundly at times, been a gentleman and always represents the values and attitude that I believe a Member of Congress should have.

To my friend, the gentleman from New York, I will attribute that to him, as well. We sometimes differ even more profoundly on some of these issues.

Let me say one thing in passing. The commitment of Republicans is unquestionable when it comes to Israel and Jewish Americans. I know to a degree, because of a fiscal note, the gentleman questions that. I am not going to go through the history of many events and many pieces of legislation that went through this House that didn't have all the support they needed, quite frankly, from the other side of the aisle.

I am not going to go through that some folks from the other side of the aisle have said things that have been pretty blatantly anti-Israel and anti-Jewish.

The problem here--if we have a problem, and we do have problems within the body--when it comes to the Jewish state and Israel, has not been the Republican Party. The Republican Party and the Members of Congress here and the majority at this time have been very supportive, whether it has been in armaments, whether it has been in words, whether it has been in deeds, have been supportive of the Jewish State of Israel and of Jewish Americans.

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York.

Mr. Speaker, I will be brief. I do want to reemphasize how important it is that Mr. Van Drew has worked collaboratively with our side of the aisle on a bipartisan resolution that is not a ``gotcha'' resolution but accurately addresses the serious problems that we are facing and condemns them without making an effort to score political points.

This is how bipartisan efforts to combat anti-Semitism should work. Mr. Van Drew has demonstrated that he certainly is willing to do that and we are certainly grateful that he worked closely across the aisle to make sure that this is not a partisan issue.

Mr. Speaker, as an American Jew, as a Member of Congress, if anti- Semitism is used as a partisan weapon, if Israel is used as a partisan weapon, it is bad for Jews and it is bad for Israel.

I urge my other Republican colleagues to follow in Mr. Van Drew's footsteps here because if they do care about Jews and they do care about Israel, then neither should be used as a partisan weapon in a political game.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Van Drew for leading that effort, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. VAN DREW. Mr. Speaker, I thank both gentlemen from the other side of the aisle that we were able to do this together. Wherever we can, whenever we can, I look forward to that participation.

I guess the only words I have to say now are just: Let's do it. Let's everybody vote together. I am hoping this is one of those rare pieces of legislation that has every Member on each side of the House of Representatives voting in favor. I ask all the Members to vote for this together in unison.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be an original cosponsor of H. Res. 481, authored by my good friend Mr. Van Drew.

This resolution condemns the shocking and horrifying spike in antisemitic attacks on U.S. soil, including the recent murderous attacks in Boulder, Colorado, at the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., and the attack on Gov. Shapiro in Pennsylvania.

It rightfully points out that these attacks are ideologically motivated--that is politically motivated.

What a sad thing to have to say--in our country, a growing number of people are embracing a political ideology that leads them to murder Jews. All of the recent murder attacks have been carried out by some who identified closely with antisemitic hatred of Israel, organized around the rhetoric of Palestinian terrorism.

And in each case the attackers chose not to attack Israel at all-- they decided to murder Americans who happen to be Jewish. In their twisted minds, any Jewish person substitutes for Israel as a target for their sick hate.

Mr. Speaker, I believe the fight against this ideology, which has repeatedly in recent weeks proven to be an incitement to terroristic murder, needs to be a top priority in the U.S. Government.

In the past two months I met with Harmeet Dhillon, the new Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, who will be walking point on this issue within the Department of Justice. I also met with Yehuda Kaploun, President Trump's nominee to the Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism--he will lead this fight internationally, within the State Department.

These are both extraordinarily capable and energetic people--and determined. I have no doubt they will do excellent work--they understand, they can name, and will fight the poisonous ideology that is motivating murder in America today.

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