This is an update to a prior article.

Since the end of the Speaker election, the United States House of Representatives has passed a simple resolution supporting Israel in the ongoing war with Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups. The resolution, H.Res. 771, was supported by 98% of the House.

In the roll-call vote, 412 representatives (95%) voted “yea,” 10 (2%) voted “nay,” 6 (1%) voted “present” (i.e. present but not voting), and 5 (1%) were absent. (Vote data are from GovTrack.us.) Because the resolution passed by such wide margins, the primary focus of this article is on those representatives who did not vote in favor of the resolution.

Republicans

Among Republicans, support was nearly unanimous. 218 Republican representatives voted in favor (99%), one voted against the resolution (less than 1%), none voted “present,” and two (1%) did not vote.

The one Republican opponent was Thomas Massie, representing Kentucky's 4th district. He explained his vote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter; he “condemn[s] the barbaric attack on Israel and... affirm[s] Israel’s right to defend itself” but opposes the resolution as written because he believes it involves the United States too much in a foreign conflict.

Debbie Lesko, representing Arizona's 8th district, and Derrick Van Orden, from Wisconsin's 3rd district, did not vote. Mrs. Lesko stated that she would have voted in favor had she been present; her statement is found in the Congressional Record. It is on page H5064 of the Record, which corresponds to page 18 in the PDF file. Mr. Van Orden wrote a press release saying that he supports the resolution but was unable to vote because he is currently in Israel, meeting with Israeli officials and others to gather more information about the war.

Democrats

Support among Democrats was also broad, although not by quite as large a margin as among Republicans. 194 Democrats (92% of the party) supported the resolution, while 9 (4%) voted against it. Six (3%) voted “present,” and three (1%) were not present.

No members of The Squad, a group of some of the most progressive House Democrats, voted in favor of the resolution; all voted either “nay” or “present.”

The following Democrats opposed the resolution:

• Jamaal Bowman, representing New York's 16th district
• Cori Bush, representing Missouri's 1st district
• André Carson, representing Indiana's 7th district
• Al Green, representing Texas's 9th district
• Summer Lee, representing Pennsylvania's 12th district
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, representing New York's 14th district
• Ilhan Omar, representing Minnesota's 5th district
• Delia Ramirez, representing Illinois's 3rd district
• Rashida Tlaib, representing Michigan's 12th district

Rep. Bowman released a statement, agreeing with H.Res. 771's condemnation of Hamas's invasion, while calling the resolution “pro-war and anti-peace” and saying he believes it is outdated. (It was introduced shortly after the war began; passage was delayed due to the removal of McCarthy as Speaker.) He said that the resolution “does not include the urgent need for de-escalation and prevention of ground invasion nor any humanitarian efforts.

Rep. Bush said in a statement that she believes an immediate ceasefire is necessary.

Rep. Carson has released a statement saying that he does condemn Hamas's invasion of Israel, but opposed this resolution because it “is horribly one-sided” and “fail[s] to acknowledge the growing loss of Palestinian lives” and that Hamas does not represent the beliefs of all Palestinians.

Rep. Green said in a statement prior to the vote that he “believe[s] that there is a moral imperative for this resolution to reiterate our longstanding commitment to the peace process, a two-state solution, and concern for the wellbeing of the Palestinian people,” suggested certain amendments, and said he would not support the resolution without them. As these amendments were not made, he opposed the resolution.

Rep. Lee published a press release expressing similar sentiments to several others, condemning Hamas's actions while opposing the resolution because it “does not acknowledge the overwhelming loss of life and humanity” and “moves us further from – not closer to – a just and lasting peace.”

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez does not seem to have made a statement specifically regarding this resolution, but she did publish a press release on October 9 condemning the attack and calling for a ceasefire.

Rep. Omar wrote a statement criticizing both Hamas and Israel and supporting a ceasefire.

Rep. Ramirez said in a press release that she also condemns Hamas's attack, but opposed the resolution because it “did not honor our shared humanity, did not advance a two-state solution, and did not recognize the interconnectedness of the Israeli and Palestinian people in their struggle for liberation and safety” and “[w]e cannot unequivocally support or condone the Israeli government’s collective punishment of the Palestinian people in Gaza.”

Rep. Tlaib said in a statement that she believes the resolution presents “a deeply incomplete and biased account of what is happening in Israel and Palestine, and what has been happening for decades.” She said that it “rightly mourns the thousands of Israeli civilians killed and wounded in the horrific attacks but explicitly does not mourn the thousands of Palestinian civilians, including over 2,000 children, killed and wounded in the collective punishment of Palestine.” (While it is true that the resolution does not mention any Palestinians killed in the war, her statement that it “explicitly does not mourn” Palestinians is not entirely accurate. The resolution unequivocally supports Israel, but it does not say that everything Israel has done is justified.)

These Democrats voted “present”:

• Gregorio Casar, representing Texas's 35th district
• Joaquin Castro, representing Texas's 20th district
• Chuy García, representing Illinois's 4th district
• Pramila Jayapal, representing Washington's 7th district
• Ayanna Pressley, representing Massachusetts's 7th district
• Nydia Velázquez, representing New York's 7th district

Rep. Casar said in a thread on X (post #1; post #2) that while he cosponsored it when it was introduced, he did not vote in favor the resolution because “it chooses not to recognize the thousands of Palestinian deaths since Oct. 7,” reflecting a belief that it was outdated.

I was unable to find any statement from Rep. Castro.

Rep. Garcia expressed much the same view as Rep. Casar, also in a thread on X (post #1; post #2; post #3).

Rep. Jayapal published a statement, saying in part that she “cannot in good conscience vote for a resolution that ignores [the civilian casualties] and the humanitarian impact on Palestinian civilians and their families as this war has unfolded and escalated,” while saying that she does still condemn Hamas's attack.

Rep. Pressley also published a statement explaining her vote. She holds a similar view to Rep. Jayapal, condemning Hamas's actions while believing that the resolution does not recognize the impacts of the war on civilians.

Rep. Velázquez, like Reps. Casar and Garcia, said in a press release that she initially cosponsored the resolution, but no longer supports it because it “does not acknowledge the suffering of Palestinians and the horrific toll the war has taken on the innocent people living in Gaza.” She also expressed support for “an immediate ceasefire.”

Three Democrats were not present; they are Luis Correa, from California's 46th district, Vicente Gonzalez, from Texas's 34th district, and Donald Payne, from New Jersey's 10th district.

Rep. Correa does not appear to have made a statement on this resolution, but in a post on X on October 18 (a week before the vote on the resolution), he expressed support for Israel while emphasizing the importance of protecting civilians.

I could not find any statements from Rep. Gonzalez regarding the resolution. However, in a post on X about the Speaker vote which took place earlier the same day as the vote on the resolution, he said that he was absent due to the death of a family member.

Mr. Payne stated that he would have voted in favor of the resolution had he been present. His statement, along with that of Republican Debbie Lesko, who was also absent, can be found in the Congressional Record on page H5064 (numbered 18 in the linked PDF file).

Vote Results on H.Res 771 Supporting Israel by Samuel Sloniker is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

#politics #Israel #Congress

This is an updated version of a prior article.

Large majorities of members in both houses of the United States Congress, including all Senators, have expressed support for Israel in the ongoing war with Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups using simple resolutions. Although these resolutions are entirely symbolic, as they do not have the force of law, they do express the beliefs of individual members who support them, and the collective view of the entire House or Senate when passed.

Unless otherwise stated, all data in this article are from GovTrack.us and are current as of October 20, 2023.

Senate

The Senate has passed S.Res. 417, “A resolution standing with Israel against terrorism,” unanimously. The vote passed 97-0 with three Senators absent, but all 100 senators sponsored or cosponsored the resolution. (The three who were absent are simply listed as “Not voting” on GovTrack, but the Congressional Record for October 19 indicates that they were “necessarily absent.”) The resolution was introduced by Senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York.

House of Representatives

A new article on a House resolution regarding the war is available.

Two resolutions have been introduced into the House of Representatives to support Israel, and another calls for a ceasefire without expressly supporting either side. None of the resolutions have been voted on at this time, because the House cannot do normal business until it elects a replacement for former Speaker McCarthy, who was recently removed.

H.Res. 768, entitled “Standing with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists,” has 382 sponsors, comprising 88% of the House; this includes 197 Republicans, or 89% of the party, and 185 Democrats, or 87%. (Sponsorship counts include both the bills' primary sponsors and their cosponsors.) The primary sponsor is Representative Michael McCaul, who represents Texas's 10th congressional district. Representative McCaul is a Republican.

H.Res. 770, entitled “Condemning an act of war against Israel by Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and associated forces, and for other purposes,” has 44 sponsors, or 10% of the House. 32 Republicans, 14% of the party, and 12 Democrats, 6% of the party, sponsor this resolution. H.Res. 770 was introduced by Republican Representative Zach Nunn, representing Iowa's 3rd congressional district.

A total of 387 representatives (89% of the House), including 201 Republicans (91% of the party) and 186 Democrats (88% of the party) have sponsored one or both of the resolutions supporting Israel.

H.Res. 786, “Calling for an immediate deescalation and cease-fire in Israel and occupied Palestine”, has 17 sponsors, all Democrats, making up 4% of the entire House and 8% of Democrats. This resolution was introduced by Representative Cori Bush, who represents Missouri's 1st congressional district. Although it does not explicitly support Palestine or oppose Israel, the use of the phrase “occupied Palestine” in the title could be seen as loaded language against Israel.

Eight Democrats have cosponsored one or both pro-Israel resolutions as well as H.Res. 786. They make up 2% of the House and 4% of their party.

In the map below, congressional districts whose representatives have sponsored one or both of the pro-Israel resolutions and not the pro-ceasefire resolution are green, while the districts of those who have sponsored only the pro-ceasefire resolution are red. Districts of representatives who sponsored both the pro-ceasefire resolution and at least one of the pro-Israel resolutions are blue, and vacant districts and those whose representatives have not sponsored any of the resolutions are light gray. Click the map for a higher-resolution downloadable version.

United States Congressional Resolutions on Israel-Hamas War by Samuel Sloniker, including map created with MapChart, is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

#politics #Israel #Congress

An updated and expanded version of this article is available: United States Congressional Resolutions on Israel-Hamas War

Two resolutions have been introduced into the United States House of Representatives to support Israel in the ongoing war with Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups. Neither resolution has been voted on at this time.

H.Res. 768, entitled “Standing with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists,” has 382 sponsors, comprising 88% of the House; this includes 197 Republicans, or 89% of the party, and 185 Democrats, or 87%. (Sponsorship counts include both the bills' primary sponsors and their cosponsors. Both bills' primary sponsors are Republicans. All data is from GovTrack.us as of October 15, 2023.)

H.Res. 770, entitled “Condemning an act of war against Israel by Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and associated forces, and for other purposes,” has 44 sponsors, or 10% of the House. 32 Republicans, 14% of the party, and 12 Democrats, 6% of the party, sponsor this resolution.

A total of 387 representatives (89% of the House), including 201 Republicans (91% of the party) and 186 Democrats (88% of the party) have sponsored one or both of the resolutions.

(It is important to understand that, while sponsoring one or both of these resolutions is an expression of support for Israel, not sponsoring either does not indicate support for Hamas. No vote has been taken yet; representatives can support a bill or resolution without cosponsoring it.)

In the map below, congressional districts whose representatives have sponsored one or both of the resolutions are highlighted in blue, while those who have not sponsored either are red. Vacant districts that currently have no representative are light gray. Click the map for a higher-resolution downloadable version.

Sponsors of H.Res. 768 and H.Res. 770 to Support Israel by Samuel Sloniker, including map created with MapChart, is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

#politics #Israel #Congress

There are currently two bills relating to #HamRadio in #Congress. Please contact your representative in favor of both! You can find your representative by ZIP code on the House of Representatives Web site. You should be able to find a phone number or office address on the representative's Web site; both phone calls and letters are helpful.

Remember to explain why amateur radio is important; a brief discussion of the use of ham radio for emergency communications helps to show the importance of these issues. If you have personally been affected by the rules that these laws would change, that is definitely helpful to mention.

Both of these bills have been introduced in the House of Representatives and are currently in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

H.R. 3241: Amateur Radio Communications Improvement Act

The Amateur Radio Communications Improvement Act would replace the current symbol-rate limit regulating digital modes with a bandwidth limit, which would be less restrictive and more effective.

Update, November 2023: H.R. 3241 is unlikely to pass, because the FCC is making the proposed changes independently, making this bill redundant.

H.R. 4006: Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act

The Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act would override most homeowners' association restrictions on antennas.

#politics