[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 19, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2350-S2351]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH AND
CALLING ON ELECTED OFFICIALS AND CIVIL SOCIETY LEADERS TO COUNTER
ANTISEMITISM
Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, I rise today to honor an
important community in our country that has done so much for our
country--Jewish Americans.
America as we know it would not exist without the contributions of
Jewish Americans. From Jewish service men and women who have served in
every conflict since the Revolutionary War to great minds like Albert
Einstein, who helped us to understand the world we live in, their
contributions helped to build this Nation. This includes Gertrude
Elion, who helped to develop groundbreaking drugs for leukemia and
other lifesaving treatments, and Sergey Brin, the cofounder of Google.
The success of our Nation is intertwined with the achievements of
Jewish Americans. We can never walk away from our Jewish fellow
citizens. I am more committed to this relationship than ever before. I
am glad we finally have a President who shares that commitment.
President Trump has been the most pro-Israel President we have ever
had. He moved the American Embassy to Jerusalem. He appointed the most
pro-Israel Cabinet ever assembled, and he is committed to defending
Israel, combating terrorism, and protecting Jewish citizens.
But still, unfortunately, we have seen a rise in anti-Semitism and in
anti-Israel hate since the October 7, 2023, attacks. What we have seen
in that time are some of the darkest parts of humanity on full display.
We have seen Hamas sympathizers take over college campuses, destroy
property, and do everything they can to instill fear into Jewish
students. From being spat at to being verbally harassed, what some of
these students have gone through is unconscionable. Countless stories
at some of America's best universities, like Columbia, UCLA, and
Rutgers, have all the same stories.
Anti-Semitism has cut its way into our political discourse. A new
report from Axios this week shows how lawmakers right here in the
Capitol are facing an ``explosion of antisemitism.'' Jewish lawmakers
on both sides of the aisle, in the House and the Senate, are receiving
death threats, harassment, and profane insults that should be out of
bounds for American politics.
None of this is OK. We should all be concerned about the rise of
anti-Semitism because it is un-American and because it is fundamentally
inhumane.
George Washington knew that too. In 1790, Washington made it clear
that America ``gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no
assistance'' in his letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, RI.
He understood and could see back then the importance our Jewish
citizens would play in preserving the American experiment.
Make no mistake, the growth of anti-Semitism will not end with anti-
Semitism. The Venn diagram of people who spread anti-Semitism and want
to destroy Western civilization is just a circle. They are just
starting with our Jewish friends. If it grows, everyone suffers. Just
like the jihadist adage in the Middle East goes, ``First the Saturday
people, then the Sunday people,'' and then it will come for everyone
else.
This hatred, this evil--we have to root it out. We have to get it out
of our schools, our neighborhoods, and our media. We need to call it
out wherever we see it. When we go silent, that is when rot festers,
and that is what anti-Semitism is. It is rotten to the core and has no
place in American society.
The United States must always stand with Israel and the Jewish
people. More than ever, we must remain committed to rooting out this
evil. That is why I am here today with Senator Rosen to ask for
unanimous consent to adopt a resolution recognizing the month of May as
Jewish American Heritage Month.
Taking a stand against anti-Semitism and celebrating Jewish Americans
mean we are fighting to protect our Nation and the blessings we enjoy.
I am proud to lead this effort.
I yield to my good friend from Nevada Senator Rosen.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.
Ms. ROSEN. I thank Senator Scott.
Madam President, Jewish American Heritage Month is an opportunity to
honor the generations of Jewish Americans who have helped to build this
country, who have helped to strengthen our democracy, who have helped
to enhance our country and advance the promise of America. And this
year's celebration feels especially significant as our Nation
approaches 250 years of independence.
For centuries, Jewish Americans have been part of the American story.
From the Jewish immigrants who arrived here on our shores in 1654
seeking refuge and freedom and opportunity, to Haym Salomon's helping
finance the Revolutionary War, to the scientists, artists, teachers,
entrepreneurs, servicemembers, and public servants who helped shape
this country into what it is today, the story of Jewish Americans is
the story of America. It is a story rooted in resilience, in
perseverance, in faith, in community, and in an enduring belief in the
promise of a better future.
Those values have guided the Jewish-American community for
generations. These are the values that taught us to pursue justice, to
repair the world, to care for our neighbors, and to stand up for those
who are the most vulnerable. They are the values that have inspired
Jewish Americans to contribute so profoundly to every corner of
American life, from medicine to music, from business to civil rights,
from the military to public service. They are the values we continue to
carry forward today.
But as we celebrate all that Jewish Americans have contributed to
this Nation, we must also acknowledge the challenges our community
continues to face because while Jewish history in America is filled
with achievement and opportunity, it has also included moments of
exclusion, discrimination, and hate.
Unfortunately, we are once again living through a deeply troubling
rise in anti-Semitism. Since Hamas' October 7 terrorist attack in
Israel, anti-Semitism incidents have skyrocketed across this country.
We have seen Jewish students harassed on college campuses. We have seen
synagogues and Jewish institutions threatened. We have seen Jewish
Americans verbally attacked, physically assaulted, and even murdered
simply because of who they are. And all of it--every single bit of it--
is unacceptable. There can be no excuses and no ambiguity when it comes
to condemning anti-Semitism.
For me, this work is deeply personal. As one of only a handful of
Jewish women ever to serve in the U.S. Senate--the third, to be exact--
and as the first and only former synagogue president in the Senate, my
Jewish identity is part of who I am, and it is part of how I lead. The
experiences that my family has endured and the hate that I have
personally faced have only strengthened my determination to fight anti-
Jewish hatred wherever it exists because even in difficult moments, the
Jewish people have always found ways to move forward with hope and
perseverance. Those are two qualities we hold dear. Jewish Americans
are people who have endured--a people who have persevered through
hardship time and time again and a people who continue to believe in
the hope and the possibility of a brighter tomorrow. Hope is part of
our heritage--the very essence of our faith. Hope is a part of what
carried generations before us
[[Page S2351]]
through unimaginable adversity, and hope is what continues to guide us
today.
In celebration of that heritage and in recognition of our history, I
am so proud to work with Senator Rick Scott to pass this bipartisan
resolution for Jewish American Heritage Month. In doing so, let us
celebrate not only the accomplishments of Jewish Americans throughout
our Nation's history but also the values that continue to strengthen
both our community and our country.
Let us recommit ourselves to fighting hate in all its forms. Let us
continue building bridges across all communities. Let us ensure that
future generations will grow up in a country where they can live
openly, proudly, and safely as Jews and as Americans.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida.
Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, as if in legislative session,
I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of
S. Res. 738, which was submitted earlier today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The senior assistant bill clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 738) recognizing the significance of
Jewish American Heritage Month and calling on elected
officials and civil society leaders to counter antisemitism.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mr. SCOTT of Florida. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be
agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to
reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no
intervening action or debate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 738) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
(The resolution, with its preamble, is printed in today's Record
under ``Submitted Resolutions.'')
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida.
Waiving Quorum Call
Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to
waive the mandatory quorum call with respect to the Rikhye nomination.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The Senator from Florida.
Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that
the previously scheduled rollcall vote start immediately.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Vote on Clarke Nomination
The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the Clarke
nomination?
Ms. ROSEN. Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant bill clerk called the roll.
Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the
Senator from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn), the Senator from Texas (Mr.
Cornyn), the Senator from North Dakota (Mr. Cramer), the Senator from
Tennessee (Mr. Hagerty), the Senator from Mississippi (Mrs. Hyde-
Smith), the Senator from Montana (Mr. Sheehy), the Senator from North
Carolina (Mr. Tillis), the Senator from Alabama (Mr. Tuberville), and
the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker).
Further, if present and voting: the Senator from Tennessee (Mrs.
Blackburn) would have voted ``YEA,'' the Senator from Tennessee (Mr.
Hagerty) would have voted ``YEA,'' the Senator from Mississippi (Mrs.
Hyde-Smith) would have voted ``YEA,'' the Senator from Montana (Mr.
Sheehy) would have voted ``YEA,'' the Senator from North Carolina (Mr.
Tillis) would have voted ``YEA,'' and the Senator from Mississippi (Mr.
Wicker) voted ``YEA.''
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Bennet) is
necessarily absent.
The result was announced--yeas 52, nays 38, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 127 Ex.]
YEAS--52
Armstrong
Banks
Barrasso
Boozman
Britt
Budd
Capito
Cassidy
Collins
Cotton
Crapo
Cruz
Curtis
Daines
Durbin
Ernst
Fetterman
Fischer
Gallego
Graham
Grassley
Hassan
Hawley
Heinrich
Hoeven
Husted
Johnson
Justice
Kennedy
Lankford
Lee
Lummis
Marshall
McConnell
McCormick
Moody
Moran
Moreno
Murkowski
Paul
Reed
Ricketts
Risch
Rounds
Schmitt
Scott (FL)
Scott (SC)
Shaheen
Sullivan
Thune
Whitehouse
Young
NAYS--38
Alsobrooks
Baldwin
Blumenthal
Blunt Rochester
Booker
Cantwell
Coons
Cortez Masto
Duckworth
Gillibrand
Hickenlooper
Hirono
Kaine
Kelly
Kim
King
Klobuchar
Lujan
Markey
Merkley
Murphy
Murray
Ossoff
Padilla
Peters
Rosen
Sanders
Schatz
Schiff
Schumer
Slotkin
Smith
Van Hollen
Warner
Warnock
Warren
Welch
Wyden
NOT VOTING--10
Bennet
Blackburn
Cornyn
Cramer
Hagerty
Hyde-Smith
Sheehy
Tillis
Tuberville
Wicker
The nomination was confirmed.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the motion to
reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table, and the
President will be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
____________________