Efforts are underway in the US Senate to block a pro-Israel bill in response to the ongoing government shutdown.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer and other Senate Democratic leaders are behind the effort, according to a report by the Washington Examiner on Monday.
The bill is aimed at “allowing state and local governments to divest from entities that boycott, divest from, or sanction Israel because of its occupation of the West Bank.”
The bill is sponsored by Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio, a longtime opponent of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) movement and ally of AIPAC, the powerful pro-Israel lobby. Aside from Rubio, the bill is expected to receive the bipartisan support necessary to muster a Senate majority. A similar bill introduced by Rubio last year was cosponsored by several Democrats, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) was expected to support this latest effort, the Intercept reported.
Schumer and most Senate Dems support the bill, but the aide said the party won’t do business as usual until Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) stops caving to Trump’s demand for a taxpayer-funded border wall and instead introduces a House-approved spending package that could end the partial shutdown, which entered its 17th day on Monday.
It’s absurd that the first bill during the shutdown is legislation which punishes Americans who exercise their constitutional right to engage in political activity. Democrats must block consideration of any bills that don’t reopen the government. Let’s get our priorities right. https://t.co/rHvpBHtHI5
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) January 6, 2019
A senior Senate Democratic aide said Monday that Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) would join the opposition to taking up the foreign policy legislation, known as S.1, before the Senate votes on the House-passed spending bills.
“Senate Republicans should instead bring to the floor the House-passed bills to reopen the government,” the aide said Monday.
Schumer is a prominent ally of Israel in the Senate, and he has backed similar measures that would have made it a felony for Americans to support the international boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), an author of the anti-boycott bill, argued that the shutdown is not really the reason Democrats are coming out against the foreign policy package.
“A huge argument broke out at Senate Dem meeting last week over BDS. A significant # of Senate Democrats now support #BDS & Dem leaders want to avoid a floor vote that reveals that,” Rubio tweeted Monday.
This “dual loyalty” canard is a typical anti-Semitic line#BDS isn’t about freedom & equality, it’s about destroying #Israel
And if boycotting #Israel is constitutionally protected, then boycotting companies that boycott #Israel is also constitutionally protected https://t.co/6yBM0bQB5L
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 7, 2019
This is a lie.
My bill doesn’t punish any political activity. It protects the right of local & state govts that decide to no longer do business with those who boycott #Israel.
So boycotting #Israel is a constitutional right,but boycotting those participating in #BDS isn’t? https://t.co/kY9MSmBkkh
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 7, 2019
Some democrats pledging to paralyze the Senate as a shutdown negotiation tactic.
So the answer to a government shutdown is to shutdown more of the government? https://t.co/rTepa7iYTz
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 7, 2019
The shutdown is not the reason Senate Democrats don’t want to move to Middle East Security Bill.
A huge argument broke out at Senate Dem meeting last week over BDS. A significant # of Senate Democrats now support #BDS & Dem leaders want to avoid a floor vote that reveals that.
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 7, 2019
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14 Responses
Evidently these Democrats are totally ignorant of the importance of manned borders. It is not just to keep out Muslims and Criminals it is also to keep out diseases that can cause plagues which endanger the whole innocent population of America. When illegal immigrants, no matter who they are, come across the borders without being examined for communicable diseases, those people then enter this country as carriers. They are not sick with these diseases because in the country they come from they have developed antibodies which protect them. However, when they cross over our borders undetected carrying these disease they spread those diseases to Americans who have not developed these antibodies. This is why you are seeing the Polio Virus and Measles resurfacing again in America as well as other diseases from which we have no idea how to treat. America had best wake up… and these idiot Democrats had best wise up.
Would they block a pro palestinian bill too? Or the cholera tlaib and our newly-elected puerto rican geniusette would have a profanity-laced cow?
The True Chucky S. has been revealed! He and Bernie are Self-Hating Jews.
Welcome to the New Democrats (AKA Commies) – Ocasio-Cortez & the Palestinian with her Habib.
Schumer has achieved the status of one of Jews’ enemies in government. We need to band togethewr and commit to oust him from office. I know it’s a few years away, but his record of late has resembled the Palestinian agenda.
The only Jews who will be upset are religious ones, and very few of us are still Democrats. Being anti-zionist will appeal to the Democratic base without offending anyone who might otherwise support them.
“what’s up Chuck” Schumer is the epitome of dual loyalty.
Is there any hope that New Yahwkers will remember this latest betrayal at election time?
Putting a bill in abeyence is in no way opposition to it.
As far as disease mentioned above, keep in mind, irresponsible frum Jews, not even from Mexico or Central America, are the current cause of the real measles outbreak which is truly a dangerous threat.
How’s that Shomer Yisroel theme working for ya now?
There is no reason to have such an expensive wall put up. Is there also going to be a wall for Canada? Canada has, so far, a better standard of living than countries in Central America and South America.Instead of focusing on building a wall, the United States and other countries should try to see what can be done to raise the standard of living in Mexico and other countries.
The government shutdown should not be connected to Israel. There are other ways to bring pressure on entities that boycott Isrseli products. It should not be tied to the government shutdown or face a Congressional vote.
Hypocrisy is schumer’s (lowercase s on purpose) middle name.
It’s not pro-Israel, it’s anti-democracy. You should be able to boycott whoever you want.
OK TryingToStayCalm, what would happen if a group decided to boycott all black-owned businesses or all gay owned businesses? Would that be fine? Simply let’s hate the Jews. Nothing more and nothing less.
This has nothing to do with Israel and everything to do with the government shutdown, both parties in order to embarass the other pass bills in their chamber in order to get the other party to embarassinglky have to vote against it.
This bill would likely never have come up if it wasnt for the government shutdown
Typical Schumer, and typical Democrat of the 21st century. Politics takes priority to legislation. This man’s position is disgraceful, and I pray every day that resho’im like him should come nowhere near Klal Yisroel or America. May we see him out of office soon.