[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 152 (Wednesday, September 12, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H8150-H8153]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1745
     SPECIAL ENVOY TO MONITOR AND COMBAT ANTI-SEMITISM ACT OF 2018

  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 1911) to amend the State Department Basic 
Authorities Act of 1956 to monitor and combat anti-Semitism globally, 
and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1911

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Special Envoy to Monitor and 
     Combat Anti-Semitism Act of 2018''.

     SEC. 2. FINDING.

       Congress finds that since the Global Anti-Semitism Review 
     Act of 2004 was enacted, in many foreign countries acts of 
     anti-Semitism have been frequent and wide in scope, the 
     perpetrators and variety of threats to Jewish communities and 
     their institutions have proliferated, and in some countries 
     anti-Semitic attacks have increased in frequency, scope, 
     violence, and deadliness.

     SEC. 3. MONITORING AND COMBATING ANTI-SEMITISM.

       (a) In General.--Subsection (a) of section 59 of the State 
     Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2731) is 
     amended--
       (1) in paragraph (2)--
       (A) in subparagraph (A)--
       (i) by inserting before the period at the end the 
     following: ``, who shall be appointed by the President, by 
     and with the advice and consent of the Senate''; and
       (ii) by adding at the end the following new sentence: ``The 
     Special Envoy shall report directly to the Secretary.''; and
       (B) in subparagraph (B)--
       (i) in the heading, but striking ``Appointment'' and 
     inserting ``Nomination'';
       (ii) by striking the first sentence;
       (iii) in the second sentence, by striking ``If the 
     Secretary determines that such is appropriate, the Secretary 
     may appoint'' and inserting ``If the President determines 
     that such is appropriate, the President may nominate''; and
       (iv) in the third sentence, by striking ``The Secretary may 
     allow such officer or employee to retain the position (and 
     the responsibilities associated with such position) held

[[Page H8151]]

     by such officer or employee prior to the appointment'' and 
     inserting ``Such officer or employee may not retain the 
     position (or the responsibilities associated with such 
     position) held by such officer or employee prior to the 
     nomination''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
       ``(3) Duties.--The Special Envoy shall serve as the primary 
     advisor to, and coordinate efforts across, the United States 
     Government relating to monitoring and combating anti-Semitism 
     and anti-Semitic incitement that occur in foreign countries.
       ``(4) Rank and status of ambassador.--The Special Envoy 
     shall have the rank of ambassador.
       ``(5) Qualifications.--The Special Envoy should be a person 
     of recognized distinction in the field of--
       ``(A) combating anti-Semitism;
       ``(B) religious freedom; or
       ``(C) law enforcement.''.
       (b) Nomination.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, and not later than 120 after any 
     such position becomes vacant, the President shall nominate 
     the Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating anti-Semitism 
     under section 59 of the State Department Basic Authorities 
     Act of 1956, as amended by subsection (a) of this section.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks 
and to include extraneous material in the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, disturbingly, incidents of anti-Semitism are on the 
increase across Europe, across the Middle East, frankly, across the 
world. As Moshe Kantor, the vice president of the World Jewish Caucus, 
has said: ``We are witnessing a global process of radicalization. . . . 
Unfortunately, and with no surprise, the common element that unifies 
radicals seems to be their hatred of Jews.''
  Today, anti-Semitism is increasingly being acted upon and, in some 
cases, even institutionalized. Country by country, we are seeing school 
curriculums attempting to indoctrinate children and attempting to 
spread hate. We are seeing courts and legislation institutionalize 
anti-Semitism. And we are seeing acts of violence against the Jewish 
people and their places of worship being excused.
  How do they rationalize it? Under the guise of a political protest.
  It is critical that the U.S. play a leading role to stop this scourge 
of hate. Yet for more than a year and a half, the top position at the 
State Department charged with combating anti-Semitism worldwide has 
remained vacant.
  Further, for more than 1 year, the office has also been completely 
unstaffed. This is unacceptable. I have raised this issue before.
  As a senior official at the State Department reminded world leaders 
this past winter: ``Absent action, the sacred pledge of `never again' 
can become empty rhetoric.''
  We cannot allow that to happen, and the bill before us today, H.R. 
1911, will help reassert U.S. leadership in combating anti-Semitism 
worldwide. It will mandate the expeditious appointment of the Special 
Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, and it will elevate the 
office to ambassadorial rank with direct access to the Secretary of 
State.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this 
measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, 
and I rise in support of H.R. 1911.
  Mr. Speaker, I am a proud original cosponsor of this bill, and I am 
pleased that we are considering it today.
  I want to start by thanking my colleagues for their hard work on this 
bill and their hard work on this effort: Congressman Chris Smith, the 
author of this legislation, and my fellow co-chairs of the Bipartisan 
Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism. I am proud to stand with a group of 
legislators committed to fighting intolerance and hatred.
  Mr. Speaker, every day, more and more alarming anti-Semitic attacks 
shock the world: Holocaust survivors violently assaulted, rallies and 
parades glorifying Nazi leaders, swastikas graffitied to incite fear 
and terror. The list goes on and on.
  And let's be clear, Mr. Speaker, this isn't just happening in faraway 
places. We have seen a sickening increase of anti-Semitic acts in our 
country as well. We have seen people who embrace hatred and bigotry 
given a loud new megaphone to spread their poison.
  As a country, we need to come together to say enough is enough. We 
need to say there are not good people on both sides. We need to 
confront evil, call it by its name, and say there is no place for it 
anywhere in the United States or around the world.
  We all need to do it as citizens. We need to do so in our laws and in 
our policies. And the very least that we could do is have the 
administration fill the positions that are supposed to be dealing with 
this issue. The Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism 
position at the State Department is still vacant. That is really 
unacceptable.
  We must have a senior official to push back against the intolerance 
and hatred of anti-Semitism. American leadership is desperately needed 
in the fight against this ancient form of hatred. I am fed up with the 
administration dragging its feet on filling this crucial position. It 
should happen now.
  That is why I am glad we are moving this bill forward. This 
legislation would elevate the Special Envoy position and require the 
President to put forward a nominee no more than 120 days after a 
vacancy. That is 4 months.
  This is essential for making sure that a prolonged vacancy like we 
have right now never happens again.
  We must have a senior State Department official dedicated to 
coordinating U.S. Government efforts to combat anti-Semitism abroad. So 
I strongly support this measure, and I ask my colleagues to join me 
doing so.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), chairman of the Foreign Affairs 
Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and 
International Organizations. He is the author of this bill.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his 
leadership on this legislation on the issue itself; Eliot Engel, of 
course, who has been a great friend, a part of this Bipartisan Task 
Force for Combating Anti-Semitism; and you, Mr. Presiding Speaker, you 
are one of the cosponsors. We have 83 bipartisan cosponsors, and this 
is an idea whose time has come.
  I especially want to thank Leader McCarthy for making sure the bill 
got to the floor today, for his leadership and strong support for it.
  Anti-Semitism, Mr. Speaker, is exploding. Just look around in any 
country in the world, look at the human rights reports that are out 
there, and it is a problem here in the United States as well. It is 
exploding.
  My first trip to the Soviet Union, now Russia, of course, was in 1982 
on behalf of Soviet refuseniks. When I saw what that country was doing 
to individual Jewish men and women and families, I became committed 
then. I worked with Mr. Hastings on this for many, many years with the 
Helsinki Commission, to try to combat this ever escalating scourge of 
anti-Semitism. It is an age-old scourge. It is bad, and it is getting 
worse.
  There is a persistent anti-Semitism, as I think my colleagues know, 
that historically has manifested itself throughout European history, 
from pogroms in Russia, to the Dreyfus affair, to Nazism in the 1930s, 
and, of course, the Holocaust right up until its modern-day iterations.
  This has been joined, however, by two other streams of hate: one 
emanating from the world of militant Islam and one that is sometimes 
fomented by countries such as Iran. Strains of this new anti-Semitism 
can be heard in the demand of the BDS movement--boycott, divestment, 
sanctions--which always singles out Israel and rarely other countries 
like China

[[Page H8152]]

who engage in pervasive human rights abuse.
  My friend and former Soviet refusenik, Natan Sharansky, testified at 
two of my hearings on combating anti-Semitism. He proposed what he 
called a simple test to help us distinguish between legitimate 
criticism of Israel from anti-Semitism. Sharansky called it the ``three 
Ds: demonization, double standard, and delegitimization.''
  First, demonization. When Israel's actions are blown all out of 
sensible proportions, and when comparisons are made between Israelis 
and the Nazis, which is absolutely sick and pathetic, this is anti-
Semitism, not a legitimate criticism of Israel.
  Second, double standard. When criticism of Israel is applied 
selectively, when Israel is singled out, libeled, and slandered by the 
U.N. Human Rights Council, for example, while the behavior or other 
egregious violators like China, Iran, Cuba, and Syria are largely 
ignored, that, too, is anti-Semitism.
  The third ``D'' is delegitimization. In other words, Israel does not 
have a fundamental right to exist.
  In light of this, there is an urgent need for a comprehensive U.S. 
Government approach.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute 
to the gentleman.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, there is a need for a 
comprehensive approach. In 2004, I offered an amendment that became law 
to create the Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, and also the 
amendment that created the Special Envoy. And I do call on President 
Trump to name that Special Envoy.
  This elevates it to ambassador, so there will be additional gravitas 
so that this individual, whoever he or she may be, will have the 
ability to have direct access to the Secretary of State on the issue of 
combating anti-Semitism.
  The bill also prohibits the position from being double-hatted. We 
know how that happens. All of a sudden, one person does all these 
different kinds of portfolios and becomes the master of none.
  It also requires, as Eliot Engel said a moment ago, that, within 90 
days of enactment of this act and thereafter, we need this name and we 
need this to be put forward so that we can get that person on the job 
and doing this great work.
  Again, I look around at people who are getting ready to speak, Peter 
Roskam, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, 83 cosponsors, totally bipartisan, and 
absolutely needed.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings).
  (Mr. HASTINGS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. HASTINGS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member, and I rise in 
support of this measure.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Deutch), one of the chairs of the Task Force to Combat 
Anti-Semitism, and, again, a very esteemed member of the Foreign 
Affairs Committee, and an original cosponsor of this bill.
  Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Ranking Member Engel. I 
rise in support of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-
Semitism Act, and I thank Congressman Chris Smith for leading this bill 
and all of my colleagues for their support.
  It has been more than a year and a half since this administration 
came into office, and this position remains vacant. Aside from some 
rumors around Washington, we don't know when this role will be filled.
  This position was created in 2004 with bipartisan support. I am sure 
my colleagues would agree that Congress doesn't pass laws for them to 
be ignored.
  It is imperative that there is someone at the State Department 
working to combat anti-Semitism globally. They should be working with 
Jewish communities, building coalitions, tracking cases, and pushing 
governments to do more to combat it. We need someone who will be our 
Nation's leading global advocate to combat anti-Semitism.
  We are seeing Jewish communities outside the United States and Israel 
shrink because they no longer feel safe in their own cities. We are 
hearing truly appalling stories, horrific stories like the Holocaust 
survivor who was brutally murdered in her apartment. We are feeling the 
hate speech rise, whether by politicians on extreme sides of the 
political spectrum or individuals empowered and amplified by social 
media.
  We urgently need someone in our government charged with addressing 
this scourge. This is not a time to abdicate our proud and historic 
leading role of pushing governments to protect their Jewish community, 
because if there is anti-Semitism that is growing in a country, it 
means that there is hatred growing in that country, and, ultimately, 
everyone is at risk.
  Our government cannot be silent in these moments. Filling this 
position must be a top priority. I call on my colleagues to support 
this bill, which will send a strong statement to the world that the 
United States remains committed to combat this bigotry and to defend 
Jewish communities and to fight hatred.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), who chairs the Foreign 
Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and ranking 
member. I am proud to be a cosponsor of Mr. Smith's very important 
bill, H.R. 1911, the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism 
Act.
  As a founding member and co-chair of the Task Force for Combating 
Anti-Semitism, I have been urging the administration to make the 
Special Envoy position at the State Department a priority and to fill 
that position as soon as possible.
  In recent years, the spike in anti-Jewish violence and harassment has 
been alarming, and not just in Europe, sadly, but across the globe, and 
even here in our own wonderful Nation.

                              {time}  1800

  It is also worrisome that we are seeing anti-Semitism couched and 
disguised in anti-Israel political rhetoric.
  This bill ensures that we have someone at the Ambassador level giving 
these issues full attention, and with access to the highest-level 
officials in other nations.
  I am also proud to have my amendment included in the bill, which adds 
a deadline for the appointment, 90 days from enactment of this act, and 
120 days from when this position becomes vacant.
  Even though current law states that there shall be an appointment, 
there is no clarity on whether an administration has a finite time to 
make one. So this is why it is important that we add a deadline to fill 
this Special Envoy position as quickly as possible.
  I encourage all my colleagues to support Mr. Smith's important bill, 
H.R. 1911; and I thank the chairman and the ranking member for the 
time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, if there are no other speakers on the other 
side, I am prepared to close.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I have one more speaker. I 
yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Roskam), a member 
of the Committee on Ways and Means, and co-chair of the bipartisan Task 
Force on Combating Anti-Semitism.
  Mr. ROSKAM. Mr. Speaker, there is a quotation that is familiar that 
is brought to my attention this afternoon as we are debating this, and 
it has echoes for today. It is by Martin Niemoller, who was a Lutheran 
pastor in Germany; and this is what he said:
  ``First they came for the socialists and I did not speak out because 
I was not a socialist.
  Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out 
because I was not a trade unionist.
  Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not 
a Jew.
  Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.''
  Mr. Speaker, we have an opportunity to do something good today, to 
build on the work that Congressman Smith has initiated and that has 
been shepherded through this process by Chairman Royce and by Ranking 
Member Engel; and that is to recognize the

[[Page H8153]]

growing rise of anti-Semitism around the world and to say, we are not 
only not going to be complicit in it, we are going to speak out about 
it, and we are going to bring attention to it, and we are going to 
bring the full force and power of the United States Government and its 
moral authority and its imprimatur on this issue. There is real power 
in that.
  You have heard both sides going back and forth sort of being reminded 
of this responsibility that we have because we have seen anti-Semitism, 
Mr. Speaker, arise within the last year alone in Germany, in Brazil, in 
France, in Hungary, and in New Zealand.
  In closing, the Anti-Defamation League has pointed out that in the 
last year alone there have been over 4 million English language tweets 
that are anti-Semitic. This is upon us.
  So what Congressman Smith has initiated now is to raise the status of 
this person to make sure they are not just a Special Envoy, but to 
raise that to ambassadorial status for all the obvious reasons; to get 
this person appointed quickly; and to have this post filled and brought 
with real authority.
  I urge its passage, and I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  In closing, I want to, again, strongly support this bipartisan bill. 
I want to thank all the people who have worked hard on it, particularly 
Mr. Smith of New Jersey, who always, for years, has been battling the 
scourge of anti-Semitism; our chairman, Chairman Royce, and people on 
both sides of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
  We can never become complacent when we see anti-Semitism, or anti-
anything rear its ugly head. We need to reject it. We need to fight it. 
We need to shine a light in all the dark corners so it has no place to 
hide and fester.
  What does it look like when it comes to foreign policy? It starts by 
appointing a senior diplomat, someone we can point to with confidence 
and say, ``You're leading America's effort to grapple with this problem 
around the world.''
  This bill would make sure that that seat can't stay vacant the way it 
has been for the last 18 months. I am proud to be an original cosponsor 
of this legislation. I, again, thank Mr. Smith, Chairman Royce, and all 
the people who have worked so hard for this.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of 
my time.
  We have seen the horrific consequences when free societies turn a 
blind eye to anti-Semitic incitement and to anti-Semitic violence. 
Passage of this bill reaffirms that combating anti-Semitism is a top 
priority for the United States, and it will fill the Special Envoy 
position and provide it with adequate staff that is going to strengthen 
our ability to work with our partners overseas.
  So I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 1911, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

                          ____________________