WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker announced he is cosponsoring the Countering Antisemitism Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at enhancing federal efforts to combat antisemitism across the United States. A member of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, Booker has been a staunch advocate for addressing the alarming rise in antisemitism and other forms of hate and ensuring the safety of religious communities in New Jersey and across the country.
“Antisemitism has no place in our country, and recent events remind us of the need to act decisively and urgently to protect all of our religious communities from hate,” said Senator Booker. “I’m proud to cosponsor this bill that would implement a comprehensive federal strategy to combat the alarming rise in antisemitism and threats to Jewish communities.”
The bill aims to coordinate and implement the 2023 U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, a comprehensive federal strategy to combat antisemitism in the United States at a time of increasing antisemitic incidents, including violence and online hate. It would establish a National Coordinator to Counter Antisemitism and an Interagency Task Force to Counter Antisemitism and require an annual threat assessment of antisemitic violent extremism
The legislation also calls for updated educational efforts on the Holocaust and antisemitism and emphasizes the importance of addressing online antisemitism and securing Jewish organizations and houses of worship against potential attacks.
Booker, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has also championed increased funding for the Department of Homeland Security’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which provides resources to safeguard nonprofits that are at an increased risk of violence, including houses of worship and religious-affiliated groups across the country.
The Countering Antisemitism Act is led by U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and co-sponsored by U.S. Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY), Susan M. Collins (R-ME), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Katie Boyd Britt (R-AL), Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Laphonza R. Butler (D-CA), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Angus S. King, Jr. (I-ME), Rick Scott (R-FL), Cory A. Booker (D-NJ), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), John Fetterman (D-PA), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), James E. Risch (R-ID), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Mike Rounds, (R-SD), and Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA).
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