Dan Goldman Calls For Increase In Funding For Nonprofit Security Grants Amidst Rise In Antisemitism

Forbes Breaking News

On the House floor, Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) decried the rise of antisemitism and called for an increase in funding for the nonprofit security grant program.

Transcript

00:00I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

00:04I want to thank my friend and colleague from New Jersey for introducing this resolution

00:11that gets right to the heart of a scary rise of violence against Jewish Americans.

00:21The rise in anti-Semitism since the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas has been jarring,

00:29unsettling, and incredibly scary for the Jewish community.

00:36And in the last two months, there have been three incidents of outright violence.

00:42The arson at Governor Shapiro's home on Passover, the murder in front of the Capitol Jewish Museum

00:50of two Israeli embassy workers, young Jews, just about to get engaged and begin their lives together

01:00solely because they were Jewish.

01:04And last weekend, a horrific attack with Molotov cocktails on a peacefully marching group,

01:13bringing attention to the fact that there remain 56 hostages in horrific conditions in captivity

01:23of a terrorist group in Gaza.

01:28Mr. Van Drew's resolution accurately recounts these facts, accurately cites and refers to the anti-Semitism

01:41that has risen in America and boldly condemns it, as we all should, because hate of any kind

01:50has no place in this country.

01:53The numbers are startling.

01:57In the American Defamation League's audit of 2024, there was a record 9,354 recorded anti-Semitic incidents,

02:081,700 of which targeted Jewish institutions, and this is the highest number ever recorded

02:16in the 46 years of this audit.

02:18And as the co-chair of the Bipartisan Anti-Semitism Task Force here in the House of Representatives,

02:25I applaud Mr. Van Drew and join with him in condemning these attacks in bringing light to what is a new phase

02:34of anti-Semitism in this country and one that is incredibly scary that includes violence and murder.

02:44All that being said, I note that today my Republican colleagues introduced an appropriations bill

02:55that proposes $305 million for the nonprofit security grants, which is the program that provides security

03:05funding to all nonprofit organizations in the United States who apply and are granted them,

03:13and that includes Jewish houses of worship, Jewish organizations, Jewish community institutions.

03:25I join 132 of my colleagues to demand that we increase last year's funding of over $400 million,

03:33because with this new violence, the need for security for every single Jewish institution has skyrocketed.

03:41And I'm deeply disappointed that the Republican majority has introduced a bill that would only fund $305 million,

03:52which is the same amount as fiscal year 2023 before October 7th,

04:00before this sudden and dramatic rise in anti-Semitism, and before the recent violence against Jewish people.

04:09And so I would ask my friend from New Jersey and my Republican colleagues to please reconsider.

04:17If you believe this resolution, as I know you do, then let's put literally our money where our mouth is,

04:29because Jewish institutions need our help to be secure, and $305 million is not going to cut it.

04:39I reserve the balance of my time.

04:41I'm in reserve

04:42I'm in reserve

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