The House on Thursday passed a resolution condemning most imaginable forms of hate speech and bigotry following an intense struggle among Democrats over how to condemn a string of anti-Semitic remarks from a lawmaker.
The watered-down resolution started as a way to respond to Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who was accused of writing anti-Semitic tweets and publicly feuding with a Jewish Democrat, Rep. Nita Lowey of New York, on Twitter.
Omar was not named in the final version of the seven-page resolution, but Republican and Democratic lawmakers nonetheless called out her pattern of anti-Semitic tweets that have created a bipartisan furor on Capitol Hill and tortured Democrats as they struggled to find a way to respond.
The final version of the resolution still touted itself as a measure to condemn anti-Semitism. But in a sign of how Democrats struggled, the final text lists white supremacists who target “African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other people of color, Jews Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, the LGBTQ community, immigrants, and others with verbal attacks, incitement, and violence” before it gets into examples of anti-Semitism.
It passed easily in a 407-23 vote, and all the “no” votes came from Republicans. Many GOP lawmakers said they would oppose it because Democrats diluted its message against anti-Semitism.
Lawmakers from both parties reminded Democrats throughout the debate that they were voting because of what they saw as anti-Semitic remarks, whatever else the resolution said.
“Let’s be honest with each other,” Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., said during floor debate. “We are here because of the anti-Semitic rhetoric from one member of this chamber, said again and again and again.”
The House passed the measure easily under special rules limiting debate to just one hour, banning amendments and requiring two-thirds approval for passage.
It was rushed to the floor after several remarkable re-writes. It started as a four-page resolution condemning anti-Semitism. By Thursday afternoon, various revisions had expanded the language to seven pages and condemned hate and bigotry aimed an many groups, ranging from Jews to Sikhs and even taking aim at police profiling. It condemned not only anti-Semitism, but white supremacy and Islamophobia.
“This resolution makes clear that we condemn anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and racism no matter where on the political spectrum it emanates from, left right or center,” said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y.
But many were not satisfied with the wording of the measure and suggested it was watered down by the leadership.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., came to the House floor to announce he would vote for the resolution even though he wanted a measure that would exclusively condemn anti-Semitism.
“I wish we had a separate resolution on anti-Semitism,” Engel said. “I think we deserve it. We shouldn’t mix anything.”
Engel rebuked Omar, who is a member of his committee, by calling her tweets “hateful,” and he said she should have apologized for her recent “dual loyalty” tweet questioning the allegiance of those who support Israel.
“The words spoken by our colleague from Minnesota touched a very real and very raw place for me,” Engel said.
[Read more: Chairman Eliot Engel rejects swiftly pushing Ilhan Omar out of House Oversight Committee]
It’s the second time in two months the House has spent floor time debating, indirectly, Omar’s comments. In February, Democrats were forced to vote for a last-minute GOP amendment condemning anti-Semitism that followed a tweet from Omar.
Democrats expanded the measure Thursday to include many other groups at the insistence of some in the Democratic caucus, including many freshmen and members of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., a member of the CBC, insisted the caucus is unified and “each brings our own background and personal experiences that shape our values, and our perspectives as we do our work for the American people.”
Omar spent her early years in a refugee camp in Somalia. Democratic leaders have defended Omar and said she may not have understood her tweets were anti-Semitic.
Democrats, including Engel, have spoken in support of Omar and said she has become the target of death threats and anti-Muslim comments.
“One begets another,” Engel said. “And we need to put a stop to it.”
Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., said Democrats were attempting to give “moral equivalency” to Omar’s remarks by lumping it in with other forms of bigotry and prejudice.
During the debate, Collins noted that it condemns death threats made against Jewish and Muslim members of Congress, but not the death threats that he and others have received. He accused Democrats of taking nearly a whole week to write language that could have been boiled down simply to, “don’t hate.”
Republicans are now threatening to bring to the floor more amendments to deal directly with Omar if she makes other questionable comments.
“I hope we are not here in another four weeks because in the first four weeks, we have been here twice,” Collins said.
