March 7 (UPI) — The House on Thursday voted in favor of a resolution put forth by Democrats to condemn anti-Semitism and bigotry.
The resolution passed by a vote of 407-23, with all Democrats voting in favor and all “no” votes coming from Republicans. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, voted present.
It states that “whether from the political right, center, or left, bigotry, discrimination, oppression, racism, and imputations of dual loyalty threaten American democracy and have no place in American political discourse.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the resolution wasn’t specifically crafted to address freshman Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar’s recent comments that supporters of Israel have an “allegiance to a foreign country.”
“It’s not about her,” Pelosi said. “It’s about these forms of hatred.”
Neither Omar, nor her comments were explicitly mentioned, but the resolution did state that “accusations of dual loyalty generally have an insidious and pernicious history” and that such accusations constitute anti-Semitism because they suggest that “Jewish citizens cannot be patriotic Americans and trusted neighbors.”
After some deliberation, the resolution was widened to include anti-Muslim bigotry, like that Omar has faced as a Somali American of Muslim faith, saying such “hateful expressions of intolerance” are “contrary to the values and aspirations of the United States.”
The resolution was also widened to condemn bigotry in all forms, stating “white supremacists in the United States have exploited and continue to exploit bigotry and weaponize hate for political gain, targeting traditionally persecuted peoples, including African Americans, Native Americans, and other people of color, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, immigrants, and others with verbal attacks, incitement, and violence.”
