Kamlager-Dove Statement on House GOP Forcing Divisive House Votes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - November 3, 2023

Media Contact: Maya Valentine | maya.valentine@mail.house.gov

WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) issued the following statement:

“This week, House Republicans brought bad-faith bills to the Floor, all designed to divide, distract, and stoke the broader trend of hatred and division that we see proliferating across our city and our nation.

“I voted ‘yes’ on a resolution to condemn the rise of antisemitism in schools because it is important to call out antisemitism. And yet, this resolution implied that antisemitism is the only kind of racist, discriminatory, and divisive behavior worth condemning, without acknowledging it is part of a larger trend of discrimination and hatred based on religious beliefs, national origin, or ancestry. Antisemitism and Islamophobia are two sides of the same coin — and we must acknowledge that if we seek to promote dignity, equality, and empathy for all people.

“In the same vein, Republicans pushed forward with a partisan Israel aid package. Our new Speaker has explicitly stated he is putting politics over people. He did just that by putting forth a bill that is dead on arrival in the Senate and that the White House explicitly announced it will veto. Security aid to our allies should not be tethered to cuts to IRS tax enforcement that would add to the deficit, and this bill neglects support for Ukraine's defense against Russia. This legislation sends a dangerous message to the world that the United States is not seriously committed to supporting our allies in their time of need and is unprecedented in modern Congressional foreign policy.

“Lastly, I voted against H.R. 340. This bill would do nothing substantive to disrupt Hamas and would hinder the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza. This impact became clear to me only after the bill passed out of House Foreign Affairs Committee markup. The bill’s author, Rep. Brian Mast, purposefully restricted a humanitarian exemption clause in the bill, repeatedly questioned whether Palestinian civilians are innocent, compared Palestinians to Nazis, and explicitly advocated for slowing the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza. I cannot support legislation rooted in xenophobia and designed to exacerbate a humanitarian crisis. 

“The way forward is to build understanding and practice empathy — not meet division with more division. Congress’ moral obligation to respond does not lie in legislation that goes nowhere. It exists in our united efforts to act and advance toward peace."

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