Rep. Scholten continues to vote in support of genocide, censorship and to suppress international solidarity

Last week I reported on Rep. Hillary Scholten’s vote to censor and punish campus protests that are happening across the country, with her claims that students were engaging in antisemitism.

Since then, Rep. Scholten has continued to vote on the wrong side of history and the wrong side of justice. On Wednesday, May 1st, Rep. Scholten voted for H.R.6090, known as the Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023. 

This legislation is essentially a gap order and an attempt to silence people who are critical of the Israeli government and their genocidal campaign against Palestinians. Many groups, particularly Jewish groups, have come out against HR 6090. Americans for Peace Now said that while it is “deeply concerned about the escalating antisemitism in the United States and globally,” the legislation “poses a significant threat to free speech and open discourse.”

“Equating criticism of the Israeli government with antisemitism is a tactic used to stifle important discussions on Israeli policies and actions, thereby hindering the broader effort to combat true instances of hatred and discrimination against Jewish communities,” the group added. 

Jewish Voice for Peace Action slammed what it called the HR 6090’s definition of antisemitism as, “controversial and dangerous mis-definition that does not help fight real antisemitism and is only a tool for silencing the movement for Palestinian rights.” 

The other recent piece of legislation that Rep. Scholten voted for was H.R.6408. This legislation would grant the secretary of the treasury broad power to designate any charity as a “terrorist supporting organization” and remove its tax-exempt status within 90 days.

According to an excellent article from TruthOut, “This legislation is ominous given recent charges of terrorism disingenuously and inaccurately slapped on U.S.-based Palestinian organizations and student groups. In October 2023, for example, Jason Miyares, the Republican attorney general of Virginia, called for investigation of American Muslims for Palestine, and the Anti-Defamation League and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law wrote a letter to presidents of nearly 200 universities, requesting that all chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine be investigated for potentially providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization. 

In response, the Charity & Security Network, a resource and advocacy center for nonprofit organizations that work in conflict zones, warned that without proper evidence such allegations constituted “a dangerous precedent for not only the U.S. legal system and the state of free speech but also for charitable giving and operations in crisis contexts like Gaza.”

By voting for these bills, Rep. Scholten has demonstrated that she will not question or challenge the Biden Administration on the matter of Israel and their current genocide against the Palestinians. Rep. Scholten also demonstrates her continued defense of Zionism by equating criticism of Israel with antisemitism, which not only promotes censorship, it stifles free speech and it threatens groups that want to practice international solidarity.