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[Pages S4923-S4924]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TREATIES AND HOUSE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, this week the Senate has attended to
one of this body's unique responsibilities relating to foreign
affairs--the ratification of treaties. We have ratified bilateral tax
agreements with four trading partners: Spain, Switzerland, Japan, and
Luxembourg. Measures like these bring clarity, certainty, and fairness
to international commerce. They ensure U.S. citizens and businesses
have a level playing field without duplicative tax burdens, and they
make the United States a more inviting destination for foreign
investment.
These newly ratified treaties will provide immediate and much needed
relief to employers in every corner of our country. They will reinforce
support for hundreds of thousands of jobs including many in my home
State of Kentucky. This is a significant bipartisan accomplishment.
Now, standing in stark contrast to the Senate's productive,
bipartisan week is what the Democratic House of Representatives has
chosen to prioritize. We have seen plenty of partisan theatrics and
high drama for the television cameras. We have seen the
[[Page S4924]]
majority spend plenty of time attacking the President and members of
the administration, but virtually nothing in the way of bipartisan
legislation to actually make progress for the American people.
The problem seems to be that so many Democrats have moved so far to
the extreme left that they literally could not pass commonsense
legislation even if they wanted to.
A case in point is the chronic difficulties and consternation that we
have seen over in the House when it comes to the seemingly
straightforward task of condemning anti-Semitism and efforts to
delegitimize the Jewish State of Israel.
Back in March, remember, House Democrats had their hands full dealing
with one of their freshman members who had trotted out age-old anti-
Semitic tropes--dual loyalties, support for Israel being driven by
money, the kind of language you would think the House could have
condemned pretty easily.
But instead, after days of internal Democratic strife, all the House
leadership could drum up was a watered-down resolution that sort of--
sort of--gestured vaguely at the problem. All the while, Senate-passed
legislation that would actually do something about anti-Semitism has
been languishing over in the House without a vote.
For more than 5 months and counting, the House has refused to act on
S. 1, the foreign policy legislation that we here in the Senate passed
back in February. This bipartisan bill included a provision to take on
the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, an economic form of
anti-Semitism that targets Israel.
Here in the Senate, taking action against BDS was a bipartisan goal.
I am a passionate opponent of the BDS movement. I know my friend the
Democratic leader opposes BDS as well, and S. 1 earned 77 votes here in
the Senate back then.
But apparently it is a bridge too far for this Democratic House. Even
a milder resolution simply condemning BDS--not doing anything about it,
but condemning it--has become a lightning rod for the far left this
very week.
Reports indicate that ``senior progressive Democrats are urging House
leaders'' to walk away from the resolution condemning BDS--a
resolution, not the thing that we passed, which is much stronger. So
the House will not take action against it, and now it seems they can't
even merely condemn it. They can't even condemn it. In fact, the far
left wants to defend BDS. Let me say that again. The far left in the
House wants to defend BDS.
I guess this is where we are. Elected members of the Democratic Party
are openly urging their leadership not to make them vote on condemning
anti-Semitism. Let me say that again. Elected members of the Democratic
Party are openly urging their leadership not to make them vote on
condemning anti-Semitism--a watered-down version of what we sent them
back in February--because, for some reason, it is just too tough a
vote. What a sad and bizarre situation we find in the House.
I urge the Speaker of the House to do the right thing. Don't let
these far-left voices run the show. At long last, bring S. 1 up for a
vote--the comprehensive legislation that sailed through the Senate with
77 votes. Bring it up for a vote, Madam Speaker. Let them vote. I bet
we would see a pretty good outcome and show anti-Semitism the door.
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