[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 187 (Tuesday, December 17, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H7259-H7261]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NEVER AGAIN EDUCATION REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2023
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(S. 3448) to reauthorize the Director of the United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum to support Holocaust education programs, and for other
purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 3448
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 ``Never Again Education
Reauthorization Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION.
Section 4(a) of the Never Again Education Act (Public Law
116-141; 134 Stat. 638) is amended by striking ``each of the
4 succeeding fiscal years'' and inserting ``each succeeding
fiscal year through fiscal year 2030''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from North Carolina.
General Leave
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
to insert extraneous material on S. 3448.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from North Carolina?
There was no objection.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 3448, the Never Again Education
Reauthorization Act of 2023.
October 7 was the worst day in Jewish history since the Holocaust. S.
3448 will ensure that the lessons of history are not forgotten in these
troubling times.
The bipartisan bill promotes tolerance by extending the United States
Holocaust Memorial Museum's mission to disseminate Holocaust education
resources through fiscal year 2030.
In May 2020, Congress passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and
President Trump signed into law the Never Again Education Act. This law
authorizes $2 million for the Holocaust museum to create and
disseminate educational resources on how and why the Holocaust
happened.
This year, the world celebrated the Allied victory of Normandy 80
years ago. We were reminded of what our heroes fought for and against.
Unfortunately, we have seen an increase in anti-Semitic and other bias-
based offenses on college campuses, demonstrating that the hate and
bigotry that motivated the Nazis is still present in our society.
{time} 1500
Mr. Speaker, expanding the presence of Holocaust education programs
in schools will increase the knowledge of basic facts related to the
Holocaust, and that is important.
More importantly, it will give schools optional resources to help
provide students a greater understanding of the ancient scourge of
anti-Semitism and provide them intellectual and moral tools to fight
against it and to prevent genocide, hate, and bigotry against any group
of people. I thank Representative Buddy Carter for authoring this bill
in the House.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 3448, Never Again Education
Reauthorization Act of 2023.
This bill reauthorizes the bipartisan Never Again Education Act
through 2030 to continue providing educators with resources and
training to teach important lessons pertaining to the Holocaust.
While Congress should not dictate school curriculum, this legislation
maintains the balance of promoting important education while allowing
school districts to govern themselves.
The bill reauthorizes the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to
support Holocaust education programs across the country that educators
can, if they desire, access to better serve their classrooms.
Anti-Semitism is not a new problem, and we have seen such a
disturbing rise in anti-Semitism that it must be addressed for the
safety and dignity of all Americans. Congress must continue to take
steps to ensure that Americans are educated on the dangers of anti-
Semitism and the lessons of the Holocaust.
Passing this bill is critically important to combating anti-Semitism
and ensuring schools maintain safe, productive spaces for all students.
As the ranking member of the Committee on Education and the
Workforce, I have worked with the majority to ensure that the curricula
introduced are appropriate for students according to their grade level
and following the guidance from the United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Carter), the sponsor of the House companion to the bill we
are considering.
Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for
yielding. I thank her for her leadership on this committee.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 3448, the Never
Again Education Reauthorization Act. I am proud to lead this important
bipartisan bill with Senator Rosen, and I thank her for her work.
The bill before us today reauthorizes the United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum's program to disseminate Holocaust education resources
through fiscal year 2030.
Since the horrific attacks of October 7, 2023, pervasive
discrimination and bias against Jews has been on full display. The
Anti-Defamation League reports more than 10,000 incidents of anti-
Semitism in the United States between October 2023 and September of
2024. This is hateful, disgusting, and despicable.
Nowhere is this more visible that on college and university campuses
where there was a staggering 321 percent increase of anti-Semitic
incidents in just 1 year.
During that time, the American people watched anti-Semitic mobs rule
over so-called elite universities including Columbia University,
Harvard University, George Washington University, and many, many more.
Not only were these demonstrations morally reprehensible but they also
incited violence against Jewish students and staff.
Yet, as these mobs raged on campuses, the American people witnessed
three Ivy League presidents refuse to unequivocally state that calling
for the genocide of Jews would violate their institutions' code of
conduct.
Think about the example that sets for today's college students. Three
adults in a position of power believe calling for the genocide of Jews
would be in line with their school policies.
Jewish students deserve better. We must speak out against hate and
educate our students on the history of anti-Semitism to ensure that the
horrors of the Holocaust are never repeated.
You have heard the saying: Those who don't know their history are
bound to repeat it. We must set a better example than that for our
children, and the recent pro-Hamas demonstrations happening at colleges
and high schools across the Nation are proof of that.
No one should be discriminated against because of their faith or
their culture or their heritage. When we say never again, we mean it.
[[Page H7260]]
Let me be clear. October 7 was the worst day in Jewish history since
the Holocaust, and this bill will ensure that we learn from history
instead of hiding from it. That is why I applaud Senator Rosen for
working with me on this bipartisan bill, and I urge my colleagues to
support it.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Manning), a distinguished Member
of the Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Scott for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Never Again Education
Reauthorization Act, bipartisan legislation authored by my colleague
Senator Jacky Rosen of Nevada.
As the co-lead of the House version of this bill with my colleague
Congressman Buddy Carter, I am proud to support this legislation to
continue vital resources for Holocaust education nationwide.
We have witnessed an alarming rise in anti-Semitism across our
country in recent years. Since Hamas' brutal attack on Israel on
October 7, 2023, this hatred has skyrocketed. According to the Anti-
Defamation League, anti-Semitic incidents have increased by more than
200 percent following Hamas' attack.
We have seen the impact of the rise in anti-Semitism in our K-12
schools and on college campuses across the country. Unfortunately, too
many young people know too little about the Holocaust and the long
history of anti-Jewish hatred.
According to a 2020 Claims Conference survey, among millennial and
Gen Z Americans, 63 percent do not know that 6 million Jews were
murdered during the Holocaust, and 12 percent have never heard about or
do not think they have ever heard the word ``Holocaust'' before.
Additionally, in its very first report to Congress under the Never
Again Education Act, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
highlighted a striking and troubling finding: a significant lack of
student knowledge about the Holocaust.
In the educator-centered surveys, both experienced and inexperienced
secondary teachers reported that close to 40 percent of their students
had no familiarity with the Holocaust.
In the fight against bigotry, ignorance, and intolerance, education
is one of the most powerful tools we have.
Education about the Holocaust and the long history of anti-Semitism
is vital because it can help teach students about how to be moral
citizens. It allows them to learn valuable lessons about bearing
witness, fostering tolerance and civic values, safeguarding democracy,
and embracing the responsibility to confront hate wherever it appears,
to speak out rather than remain silent bystanders.
That is why Congress passed the Never Again Education Act in 2020 and
why we must work together on a bipartisan basis to ensure this critical
work continues.
This bill will extend support for Holocaust education across the
Nation. It will continue the United State Holocaust Memorial Museum's
strong track record of providing resources.
Mr. Speaker, I support the Never Again Education Reauthorization Act,
and I ask my colleagues to support this legislation.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
California (Mr. Kiley), a Member of the Committee on Education and the
Workforce.
Mr. KILEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Never Again
Education Reauthorization Act of 2023, a bill of which I am a
cosponsor.
For years now at college campuses, we have seen an alarming rise in
anti-Semitism that in far too many cases was allowed by university
faculty administration, sometimes even encouraged.
Even though this trend has been years in the making, nothing could
have prepared us for the horrifying scenes that we have seen over the
last year, ever since the attack of October 7 where these tendencies
and this rise in anti-Semitism came out into the open.
We saw scenes unlike anything we ever thought we would see in this
country. You had students setting up checkpoints on campuses and saying
that if you are a Jewish student, you are not allowed to pass. You had
encampments set up for the specific purpose of harassing Jewish
students and extracting anti-Semitic concessions from faculty that in
some cases were, in fact, agreed to.
Our committee, the Education and the Workforce Committee, began an
investigation into these incidents. We brought in university
presidents, some of whom are now former university presidents. We heard
from students who lived through this horror and who no longer feel safe
on their own campuses.
This culminated in a report that laid out exactly what has been going
on at campuses across this country. This alarming normalization of
anti-Semitism in higher education must not continue. It demands swift,
decisive action, and the Never Again Education Act responds to this
crisis.
The bill reauthorizes funding for the United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum to develop and distribute educational resources on the
Holocaust, how it happened, and why it must never happen again.
These tools equip educators to combat prejudice, apathy, and
complicity. It empowers students to recognize anti-Semitism, reject its
resurgence, and to see an echo of our most painful history when it
occurs.
By passing this legislation, we will assure that ignorance does not
prevail, and I encourage a strong bipartisan vote to assure that it is
passed into law.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume for the purpose of closing.
Mr. Speaker, in 2024, there are very few individuals who remember
firsthand the horrors of the Holocaust. It is our duty to remember and
to educate our children so that lessons learned will never be
forgotten.
By reauthorizing the Holocaust education resources for teachers and
students, the Never Again Education Reauthorization Act of 2023 is a
vital step in fighting back against anti-Semitism and acts of hate that
remain far too pervasive in our society.
By prioritizing, we can invest in a younger generation of critical
thinkers who can learn from history and use it to benefit the world
around them with empathy and insight.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
{time} 1515
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, anti-Semitism exploded on college campuses across the
country following October 7, 2023, increasing 700 percent over the same
period in the prior year. Swastikas were spread across campus as
graffiti. Jewish students were segregated in classrooms by their
professors. Jewish students at New York City's Cooper Union were forced
to lock themselves in the college library and later were escorted out a
back door.
I recognize that anti-Semitism is not a new problem. It has taken on
various forms throughout history. The most noted prior to October 7
were the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust. Both will forever remain a
stain in the annals of human history.
The modern form of anti-Semitism is often disguised by progressive
political ideologies. Evidence shows that campus DEI bureaucracies play
a major role in propagating the spread of anti-Semitism. DEI divides
the world into oppressors and the oppressed, ascribing collective guilt
to the oppressors and collective innocence to the oppressed.
What does this mean for Jewish students? The DEI hierarchy places the
Jewish people at the bottom of the oppression spectrum. DEI programs
are ideologically anti-Semitic because they ascribe collective guilt to
the entire State of Israel for its mere existence.
The core principles of the Marxist ideologue are not diversity,
equity, or inclusion. They are, instead, discrimination, intolerance,
and bigotry toward individuals thought to belong to the wrong group.
This modern manifestation of one of history's greatest evils, anti-
Semitism, is repugnant. By passing S. 3448, the Never Again Education
Reauthorization Act of 2023, Congress takes a step toward ensuring a
safer and more secure future for Jewish Americans. More importantly, it
ensures that we
[[Page H7261]]
will always remember the victims of the Holocaust, who were murdered
simply for being Jewish.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, S. 3448.
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. SCOTT of Virginia. 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.
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