The Senate signaled Thursday it would move on a bipartisan antisemitism bill that was approved overwhelmingly by the House but quickly faced opposition from members who wouldn’t allow leadership to fast-track the legislation.
Two Senate leadership aides said both parties “hot-lined” the bill to see if they could bypass a series of legislative hurdles to speed up passage.
However, the measure, which would codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism, faced objections on both sides of the aisle, according to multiple senators.
“It’s who you would expect,” Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD) told the Washington Examiner.
He mentioned Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), while libertarian Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) confirmed that he would object to the legislation when it is brought to the floor.
“I don’t think it’s going to be up today, but I will,” Paul said.
Lacking bipartisan agreement, senators departed Washington for the weekend that afternoon. Leadership hopes to revisit the topic next week.
“We’re going to look for the best way to move forward,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told reporters.
The House passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act on Wednesday in a 320-91 vote, with 70 Democrats and 21 Republicans opposed.
The measure, which would expand the definition of antisemitism as the Department of Education enforces anti-discrimination laws, comes amid pro-Palestinian protests at colleges and universities, some of which have turned violent and antisemitic. Republicans and some Democrats have pressured the Biden administration to clamp down on the demonstrations and threaten taxpayer funding for higher education institutions if they persist on campuses.
Asked whether President Joe Biden would sign the House-passed antisemitism bill into law, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that the president “welcomes congressional action in this fight.” She declined to offer an overt endorsement of the legislation, saying she wanted to be careful as “several bills” are being discussed.
Opponents say the bill is an overreach because federal laws already guard against antisemitic discrimination and that it could run afoul of free speech protections.
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) cited concerns that the bill’s language was too vague and could be used to deem statements critical of Israel as being antisemitic.
“I worry about creating a statutory thoughtcrime,” he told reporters.
Proponents like Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) urged for its immediate passage, which would have required a time agreement from all 100 senators.
“We must pass the Antisemitism Awareness Act today to ensure that Jewish students on campuses or anywhere else in our society are protected against discrimination,” he said.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) called it a “ridiculous” bill that could inadvertently lead the religious speech of Christians to be censored.
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Schumer, the highest-ranking elected Jewish leader in the United States, initially sidestepped on Wednesday whether he would bring the legislation up for a vote but has faced mounting pressure to more forcefully respond to antisemitism at colleges.
Skeptical about the bill’s future, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) told the Washington Examiner she believes the Senate could ditch the House’s version to put forward another antisemitism measure. She declined to elaborate.
