U.S. Representative Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) Tuesday voted to stand with Israel as a key ally of the United States and to oppose the radical Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement that seeks to delegitimize the world’s only Jewish state.
“Israel is one of America’s closest friends, and we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our vital ally in the face of threats to delegitimize and even destroy the world’s only Jewish state,” Congresswoman Walorski said. “Passing this bipartisan, commonsense resolution is a good first step to show the world we will not stand for the radical BDS movement. Now it’s time for Speaker Pelosi to allow a vote on the bipartisan Combating BDS Act so we can make a real difference in the fight against anti-Semitism and the anti-Israel agenda.”
BACKGROUND
The House passed H. Res. 246, a resolution opposing efforts to delegitimize the State of Israel and the Global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement targeting Israel, by a vote of 398 to 17, with five voting present.
The House today also passed two bipartisan bills to combat terrorism and strengthen U.S. support for Israel:
- H.R. 1850, the Palestinian International Terrorism Support Prevent Act, which would impose sanctions on governments or organization that support Palestinian terrorist groups, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
- H.R. 1837, the United States-Israel Cooperation Enhancement and Regional Security Act, which would strengthen U.S.-Israel security and economic cooperation.
In May, Walorski signed a discharge petition to bring H.R. 336, the Strengthening America’s Security in the Middle East Act, to the House floor for a vote. This legislation would strengthen the security of the U.S. and our allies in the Middle East and support state and local governments that choose not to contract with companies that discriminate against Israel.
H.R. 336 is the House companion to S. 1, which recently passed the Senate by a bipartisan vote of 77 to 23, and includes the following bills:
- The Ileana Ros-Lehtinen United States-Israel Security Assistance Act of 2019, which would authorize security assistance to Israel for 10 years;
- The U.S.-Jordan Defense Cooperation Extension Act, which would extend Jordan’s eligibility to receive special treatment for transfer of U.S. defense articles and services;
- The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019, which passed the House by voice vote in January 2019 and would provide the administration with new tools to sanction those who provide significant financial, material, or technological support to the Assad regime’s war against the Syrian people; and
- The Combating BDS Act of 2019, which would allow state and local governments to adopt laws to divest public funds from entities that boycott Israel.
Walorski represents the 2nd Congressional District of Indiana, serving as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.
