Chrissy Houlahan on Homeland Security

Respect for vets means Trump shows up on Veterans Day

REPRESENTATIVE-ELECT CHRISSY HOULAHAN (D-PA-6): : In addition to being a veteran myself, I am third- generation military, and my grandmother and grandfather are buried at Arlington. And so I think it's important that our commander in chief respect the veterans and the people who have served our country so fundamentally. So this is personal to me. But it also is about our nation.

REPRESENTATIVE-ELECT DAN CRENSHAW (R-TX-2): : I would have liked to see him at Arlington. But, as veterans, what affects us is, listen, are you giving us a clear mission? Are you giving us the equipment we need to do it? Are you raising pay for the military? He's done all of these things. That's what matters to me as a veteran.

Combat international and domestic Islamophobia.

H.R.5665: Combating International Islamophobia Act: This bill establishes within the Department of State the Office to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia and addresses related issues. The bill requires annual reports to Congress about human rights and religious freedom in foreign countries to include information about Islamophobia, such as:

1. acts of physical violence or harassment of Muslim people,
2. instances of propaganda in government and nongovernment media that attempt to justify or promote hatred or incite violence against Muslim people, and
3. actions taken by a country's government to respond to such acts. The office shall coordinate and assist in preparing these portions of the reports.

Rationale to vote NO (Rep. Zeldin, R-NY, 12/14/21)::: Lee Zeldin, one of two Jewish Republicans in Congress, announced that he will vote against H.R. 5665, a partisan resolution: "Rep. Ilhan Omar's bill that is supposed to combat Islamophobia does not even define 'Islamophobia'. In fact, the way the bill is worded intentionally plays into Omar's calculating game that any criticism about any topic relating to her, even if it has absolutely nothing at all to do with her religion, could be defined as 'Islamophobia'. That is absurd and I will vote 'no'!"

Rationale to vote YES (NY1.com, 12/15/21)::: "Our country's commitment to defending freedom of religion and belief goes back centuries, and the Administration strongly believes that people of all faiths and backgrounds should be treated with equal dignity and respect around the world," a statement of support issued by the White House read. The bill comes after Republicans in Congress have targeted the three Muslim members of Congress as members of a "jihad squad."

Legislative Outcome: Passed House 219-212-3 on 12/14/2021, Roll no. 448)' introduced in Senate on 12/15/21 and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations; no further Senate action during 2021.