Amo Joins Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers in Calling for More Federal Funding to Fight Antisemitism

PAWTUCKET, RI – Today, Congressman Gabe Amo (RI-01) co-signed a letter urging the leaders of both the U.S. House and Senate Appropriations Committees to provide robust funding to implement the National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism for Fiscal Year 2024. 

“As you enter into negotiations to reconcile House and Senate Fiscal Year 2024 spending measures, we write to urge robust funding to implement the National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism,” the Members wrote. “We hope that the strong bipartisan and stakeholder support for the President's plan to reverse the spread of hatred will be reflected in our nation’s budget.”

The first-ever U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism announced by President Joe Biden has tasked Congress with funding programs and initiatives to fight antisemitism. These programs include enforcing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to stop antisemitic harassment on college campuses, funding Nonprofit Security Grants to protect synagogues and other centers of Jewish life, and empowering state and local law enforcement and prosecutors with the tools they need to prevent hate crimes from happening in the first place and effectively prosecute them when they do occur.

Fully funding and implementing the strategy would help combat the rise in antisemitic incidents across our nation. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has reported that antisemitic incidents in the U.S. have reached the highest level ever recorded, with nearly 3,700 cases documented. Since the brutal massacre and kidnapping of over 1,400 Israeli civilians by Hamas, the ADL reports that antisemitic incidents were 316% higher than the 200 incidents reported between the October 7 and November 7 period in 2022.

The letter was signed by a total of 51 bipartisan members, including Wasserman Schultz and Fitzpatrick as well as Reps. Gabe Amo, Jake Auchincloss, Don Bacon, Suzanne Bonamici, Shontel Brown, Vern Buchanan, Kathy Castor, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Yvette Clarke, Gerald Connolly, Angie Craig, Donald Davis, Lloyd Doggett, Lois Frankel, Maxwell Frost, Daniel Goldman, Jenniffer González-Colón, Josh Gottheimer, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Derek Kilmer, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Greg Landsman, Barbara Lee, Susie Lee, Ted Lieu, Nicole Malliotakis, Kathy Manning, Lucy McBath, Grace Meng, Marcus Molinaro, Jared Moskowitz, Jerrold Nadler, Jimmy Panetta, Dean Phillips, Jamie Raskin, Patrick Ryan, Maria Salazar, Janice Schakowsky, Bradley Schneider, Terri Sewell, Darren Soto, Haley Stevens, Eric Swalwell, Ritchie Torres, David Trone, Juan Vargas, Marc Veasey, Susan Wild, and Nikema Williams.

The letter received support from the Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee, Jewish on Campus, Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America.

The full letter can be read here.