4 House Democrats introduce bill that would enact progressive vision for fighting antisemitism

Four progressive House Democrats have introduced a bill aimed at combating antisemitism in the wake of the attack on Jews celebrating Hanukkah in Sydney.

The Antisemitism Response and Prevention Act would demand a host of policy measures, including fully funding the federal Office of Civil Rights, while also repudiating the Trump administration’s tactics around antisemitism, which its progressive critics have said “weaponize” antisemitism in support of a repressive agenda.

“We all witnessed in horror the antisemitic attack that took place this week in Sydney, Australia. In the wake of this tragedy, I am proud to lead this comprehensive, progressive, and critically important piece of legislation to combat the rising antisemitism in this country,” Rep. Jerrold Nadler, Congress’s most senior Jewish member and one of the bill’s sponsors, said in a statement. “This bill shows that moderates and those aligned with the current Israeli government do not enjoy a monopoly over the fight against antisemitism and hate.”

In addition to Nadler, those sponsoring the bill introduced on Wednesday were Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, Maxwell Frost of Florida and Becca Balint of Vermont. Frost is the youngest member of Congress, while Balint is Jewish.

The bill borrows from the Biden administration’s plan to combat antisemitism. It would fully fund the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education, which handles federal antisemitism investigations in schools, and reopen some of its regional offices that were shuttered by the Trump administration.

The bill would also create a new position, titled the National Coordinator to Counter Antisemitism, whose duties would include navigating government-wide efforts to combat antisemitism.