January 15, 2019

On January 14th, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tried and failed for a third time to introduce S.1, the “Strengthening America’s Security in the Middle East Act” for a vote. We wrote about the Senator’s attempts to submit the bill for a vote last week, but S.1 would essentially appropriate government funds toward Israel’s security and defense programs as well as enact legislation that would unconstitutionally penalize participation in BDS activities, a First Amendment protected right.

By rejecting S.1 for a third time, the Senate has sent a clear message that they will not be discussing appropriations bills which do not reopen the government, nor bills that limit the free speech of U.S. citizens. By reintroducing this failed bill twice in less than a week, Sen. McConnell, Sen. Rubio, and the bill’s other co-sponsors have made it clear that they are prioritizing a foreign government over the First Amendment protected rights of their own citizens and focusing on reopening the federal government.

Founded in 1988, the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) is a national nonprofit working to promote and strengthen American pluralism by increasing understanding and improving policies that impact American Muslims.