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Legislative Round-Up: week ending July 20, 2012

1.  Bills, Resolutions & Letters
2.  CUFI on the Hill
3.  Bachmann finds/crosses a red line?
4.  Hearings
5. Members on the Record  
6.  From the Press


1.  Bills, Resolutions, & Letters

(NEW IRAN SANCTIONS) HR 1905/S. 2101:  On 7/19/12 House Minority Whip Hoyer (D-MD) had the following exchange with Rep. Roskam (R-IL) on the House floor:   

HOYER. "...both Mr. Cantor and I have made representations that we are going to work together, as we do from time to time, cooperatively and effectively, I might say. We are very concerned that the Iran sanctions legislation, which is in conference, be passed by this Congress prior to our leaving on August 2 or 3--I'm not sure which days we are going to be leaving, but one of those days.   Does the gentleman have any information on the status of the Iran sanctions legislation which we passed overwhelmingly in this House and the Senate has passed? It's in conference, and I know Mr. Cantor and I both support getting this done before we leave..."
ROSKAM: "... Yes, there is every intention to move forward on that which the gentleman and the majority leader have been working so cooperatively on, and there is an expectation that that will be done before the August recess."

(DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS) HR 5856: On 7/19/12 the House completed debate and passed HR 5856, the FY13 Department of Defense Appropriations Act.  Middle East-related details of the bill, including details of the $948,736,000 in funding for Israel-related programs, are covered in the 5/11/12 edition of the Round-Up.  The bill passed by a vote of 326 - 90.  The floor debate regarding HR 5856 is available here.  It includes discussion of a number of amendments related to the Middle East:

- H. Amdt. 1418:  Offered by Rep. Gosar (R-AZ) to courageously bar U.S. assistance to the governments of Iran and Syria (both of which have long been barred from receiving U.S. assistance due to their support for terrorism), to Hamas and Hizbullah (both U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations and thus barred from receiving U.S. assistance), and to the Muslim Brotherhood (not a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, but the reality is that the Department of Defense is not likely to give assistance to an Egyptian political group - it's not clear if Gosar intended the inclusion of the MB to mean no assistance to the Government of Egypt, but as written this is not the legal effect).  Unsurprisingly, this amendment passed with nothing more than a short grandstanding speech by Gosar (in which he suggested that his amendment was necessary because some unnamed people "make the argument that sometimes foreign aid eases diplomatic relations with certain entities") and a voice vote.

- H. Amdt. 1420:  Offered by Rep. Brooks (R-AL) to bar DOD from providing the Russian government with "any information about the missile defense systems of the United States that is classified by the Department or component thereof."  The floor discussion over this amendment included numerous mentions of concerns about the threat of Iranian ballistic missiles and Russia's relationship with Iran.   As part of the discussion of this amendment, Rep Turner (R-NY) entered the McKeon-Turner letter (see letters, below) into the record.  Agreed to by a voice vote.

- H. Amdt. 1424:   Offered by Rep. Turner (R-NY) to block Obama Administration plans to reduce U.S. nuclear forces.  Discussion of this amendment included repeated references to dangers posed by Iran. The amendment passed by a vote of 235-178.

- H. Amdt. 1427:  Offered by Rep. Berg (R-ND) to block any plans of the Obama Administration to reduce the number of nuclear weapons delivery vehicles of the United States.  Again, discussion of the amendment included references to Iranian threat.  The amendment passed by a vote of 232-183.

(TUNISIA FTA)  H. Res. 719: Introduced 6/29/12 by Rep. Dreier (R-CA) and 2 cosponsors, "Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should initiate negotiations to enter into a free trade agreement with Tunisia."  Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.  For reporting on this, see The Cable, 7/12: Could the next U.S. free trade agreement be with Tunisia?

(RELIGIOUS MINORITIES IN ARAB WORLD) H. Res. 732: Introduced 7/17/12 by Rep. Franks (R-AZ) and having 35 cosponsors, "Calling for the protection of the rights and freedoms of religious minorities in the Arab world."  Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

(US-ISRAEL SECURITY COOPERATION)  S. 2165: Introduced 3/6/12 by Sen. Boxer (D-CA) and having 72 cosponsors, the "United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012." On 6/27/12 the Senate Foreign Relations Committee reported S. 2165 out of committee (report here).  On 6/29/12 the full Senate passed S. 2165 by a voice vote with no debate or floor statements (consideration here), and sent it to the House.  On 7/17/12 the House passed S. 2165 by voice vote and on 7/19/12, S. 2165 was sent to President Obama, who is expected to sign it into law.   COMMENT:  While S. 2165 is important legislation, these two recent votes were largely non-events, subject to little Congressional grandstanding/debate and eliciting little in terms of press coverage.  This is because passage of the bill is already old news.  S. 2165, and its House companion version HR 4133, were introduced way back in March, in connection with the AIPAC policy conference (covered extensively at the time in the Round-Up; APN lobbied against both).  Together they formed one of two legislative initiatives that were the centerpiece of AIPAC lobbying at that time and since.   The House passed HR 4133 back in May, at which time there was real debate and discussion and the bill was covered extensively in the media (for coverage in the Round-Up, see here).   The Senate held off on taking action at that time, possibly due to the fact that new Iran negotiations were just starting.  Since then the Senate has been under intense pressure to move the bill (which is slightly different from the House version, including language absent from the House version extending U.S. loan guarantees to Israel).   With Senate passage of S. 2165 at the end of June, the ball was back in the court of the House, which could have insisted on its version or adopted the Senate version.  House leaders elected the latter approach and the bill was adopted under suspension of the rules, with little fanfare/minimal grandstanding, and by a voice vote - reflecting the fact that the grandstanding and the score-able roll call vote had already taken place back in May around passage of HR 4133.

(FOREIGN RELATIONS AUTHORIZATION) HR 6018:  On 7/17/12 the House voted to suspend the rules and pass HR 6018, the FY 13 Foreign Relations Authorization Act.  The bill passed by a vote of 333-61.  As noted previously, this is the first time in memory that the House as passed a "clean" foreign relations authorization bill, let alone an authorization bill that is not replete with Middle East-related grandstanding provisions.  

(IRAN AMENDMENT) HR 4402:  On 7/12/12 Rep. Slaughter (D-NY) offered an amendment to HR 4402, the "National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act of 2012" (in the form of a motion to recommit the bill to committee of jurisdiction and instruct the committee to report it back to the full house with the amendment included).  Her amendment sought to ensure that China and Iran are barred from benefitting from the legislation, by barring export to either country of "strategic and critical minerals produced" under any Federal exploration or mine permit issued pursuant to this Act, and by prohibiting issuance of such permits to any company in which China or Iran has an ownership interest or to any person who is in violation of U.S. iran sanctions legislation.  Her press release describing the amendment is available here.  The motion was defeated by a party-line vote of 181-231.

Letters:

(IRAN MISSILE THREAT) McKeon-Turner letter to Panetta: On 7/13/12 Reps. McKeon (R-CA, Chair of the House Armed Services Committee) and Turner (R-OH, Chair of the HASC's Subcommittee on Strategic Forces) sent a letter to Defense Secretary Panetta expressing "concern with the Administration's plans for missile defense, specifically the sharp decline in the attention and resources invested in U.S. national missile defenses."  The letter frames these concerns in terms of the threat posed by Iran developing long-range ballistic missiles and poses a series of questions that Panetta is asked to respond to.

(EGYPT AID) Walsh et al letter on Egypt:  On 7/12/12 Rep. Walsh (R-IL) sent a letter to House leadership 'that urges them to withhold aid to the new Egyptian government until it reaffirms its treaties with Israel and recognizes Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state." [Comment: Under the Camp David Accords, both Egypt and Israel agree to "full recognition."  There is nothing in Camp David about Egypt being required to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, or any other kind of state.  Then again, those accords also involve Israel committing to "transitional arrangements for the West Bank and Gaza for a period not exceeding five years..."].  The letter was reportedly signed by 34 other Republican members of Congress.

2.  CUFI on the Hill

[Note: this section was updated.]

This week was the annual Washington Summit for Christians United for Israel, the Christian Zionist group led by John Hagee.  Every year CUFI brings thousands of Evangelical Christians (this year they reportedly brought 5600) to Washington to hear various speakers, celebrate, and lobby the Hill.  

Speakers at this year's summit included the ZOA's Mort Klein and Malcolm Hoenlein, the Executive Vice Chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.  From the right-wing policy wonk community, there was the of-late (on pretty much anything related to the Palestinians on the Hill) ubiquitous Jonathan Schanzer, of FDD;  Steve Emerson; Frank Gaffney; FDD's Cliff May; and former Bush Administration official Ari Fleischer.

From the Hill there was Senator Joseph Lieberman (R-, I mean I-CT), who has a long and warm relationship with Pastor Hagee (whom he has lauded and described as a "man of god" - video from previous CUFI summit here).   Event-goers were also treated to a special address by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN). Video of Bachmann's speech can be viewed here.  (For more on Bachmann's week, see Section 3, below).

From Israel, there was Rabbi Riskin, the chief rabbi of the settlement of Efrat, located south of Bethlehem (CUFI lists him as being from "Efrat, Israel").   In addition, summit-goers were treated to another speech from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu via satellite (rough video available here;  Netanyahu also gave a speech to a CUFI event in March 2012 and of course to the 2011 CUFI Washington Summit)  

Some video of the festivities (dancing and music) posted by summit-goers is available here and here.  Coverage of the summit has been strictly controlled in recent years.

Reporting on the CUFI conference:
 
Christian Broadcasting Network News, 7/20: Netanyahu Thanks Christians at CUFI Summit (including video)
Washington Post (Jennifer Rubin's blog) 7/20: Christian Zionists united to oust Obama
Daily Beast 7/20: Netanyahu Balks At Base
Jerusalem Post 7/19: US must act on Iran soon, says Senator Lieberman (to CUFI)
Arutz Sheva 7/19: Bachmann Takes Off Gloves on Obama at CUFI Summit
Electronic Intifada 7/18: blog diary of a conference attendee
Washington Jewish Week 7/18: CUFI draws 5,600 to D.C. for pro-Israel lobbying
Haaretz 7/18: Inside the Christians United for Israel rally: Unconditional support for Israel
JTA 7/17: In Christian version of AIPAC, CUFI draws 5,600 to Washington for pro-Israel lobbying
Christian Broadcasting Network News, 7/16: Pro-Israel Summit Highlights Need for Advocacy
JTA 7/16: John Hagee: Evangelical Christians are the 'front line' for Israel

3.  Bachmann finds/crosses a red line?

This week saw a fascinating development as Rep. Bachmann (R-MN) appeared to locate and cross a red line - one which up until now nobody knew existed - which marks how far Republican politicians can go in their Muslim-baiting-for-political-benefit without provoking backlash from within the GOP.  

Bachmann achieved this feat in the context allegations/insinuations she and fellow members of Congress made in letters sent last month to the Inspectors General of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice and the Department of State. The letters (covered in the 6/15/12 edition of the Round-Up) sought answers "about the U.S. government's involvement with the Muslim Brotherhood". 

Fellow Minnesota legislator Keith Ellison (D-MN), the first Muslim member of Congress, challenged the allegations made in those letters, including the insinuation that Huma Abdin, Deputy Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, is a secret Muslim Brotherhood agent who has infiltrated the U.S. government.  In response, on 7/13/12 Bachmann sent a 16-page (!) letter to Ellison doubling down on all her insinuations about Abdin as well as her accusations regarding the Muslim Brotherhood, the OIC, MPAC, and others.   Both the original Bachmann et al letters and the letter to Ellison rely mainly on the work of Frank Gaffney's Center for Security Policy for their allegations.

Subsequently, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) took to the Senate floor on 7/18 to defend Abdin and blast Bachmann and her allegations/insinuations (transcript here).  His words provoked a self-righteous response from the Center for Security Policy.  House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) also subsequently defended Abdin, calling the allegations "pretty dangerous."  On 7/19/12 Politico published an article entitled "Republicans line up to rip Michele Bachmann."  Bachman's former campaign chief also penned an op-ed for Fox News entitled "Shame on You, Michele."

Abdin, as the entire world knows, is married to disgraced New York Congressman Anthony Weiner and mother to his new child.  It should be recalled that during Weiner's scandal, some right-wing anti-Muslim lunatics suggested that Weiner himself had become a secret Muslim and had married Abdin in some sort of political bargain for the benefit of a "socialist political agenda" (more here and here).

4.  Hearings

7/10/12: House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia: Chronic Kleptocracy: Corruption within the Palestinian Political Establishment (video).  Chairman Chabot (R-OH) opening statement; Ranking Member Ackerman (D-NY) opening statement.   Witnesses: Elliott Abrams, CFR (testimony); Jonathan Schanzer, FDD (testimony); Jim Zanotti, CRS (testimony). 

Related articles:
Washington Free Beacon 7/13: State Dept. Doubles Down on Palestinian Aid
Washington Free Beacon 7/11: Lifestyles of the Rich and Palestinian - Palestinian Authority president stealing millions in aid, Middle East experts say
Haaretz 7/11: U.S. lawmakers slam Mahmoud Abbas for alleged corruption
Commentary 7/11: Why Palestinian Corruption Matters
JTA 7/11: House Middle East subcommittee considers PA corruption
Arutz Sheva 7/11: Corruption Charges Fuel Move to Cut US Aid to PA

5.  Members on the Record

Reed (R-NY) 7/12: Expressing concerns regarding the negotiation of the UN arms trade treaty ["the ability of the United States to provide arms to trusted allies, such as Israel, should not be infringed"].
Gohmert (R-TX) 7/11: Yet another rambling tirade against the Obama Administration's treatment of Israel, including, as evidence, its failure to include Israel in a recent counter-terrorism conference.
Isakson (R-GA) 7/10: Expressing concerns about the UN Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty and the failure of the U.S. to block Iran's inclusion as a member of the Conference's Bureau/General Committee.
Pitts (R-PA) 7/10: Condemning the government of Iran for its persecution of pastor Youcef Nadharkani
Gohmert (R-TX) 7/9: Yet another rambling tirade accusing the Obama Administration of, well, it's not entirely clear.  Losing the war in Afghanistan?  Abandoning Mubarak?  Failing to fight creeping sharia?  Gohmert compares the new Egyptian president to Yasser Arafat and Ayatollah Khomeini (making the case, it seems, that the U.S. should boycott him or freeze relations with Egypt).  He ends with a mention that he is reading a book called The Harbinger (please click the link to see just how wacky a book is inspiring a sitting member of Congress). Gohmert says the book has "interesting things" in it and adds that "it's time we look at the signs..." He closes by including a letter to key Senators, signed online by thousands of people, claiming that "the ongoing purge of counterterrorism training materials used by the FBI as well as state and local law enforcement is a danger to our nation. Further, we see these actions as a continuation of concerted efforts to manipulate, if not altogether eliminate, a clear definition of the threat that radical Islam poses to our nation..."
Dold (R-IL) 6/29:  "Let's not deceive ourselves on what the Muslim Brotherhood seeks" [i.e., they say they'll keep the peace treaty with Israel, but they really want jihad].

6. From the Press

Jewish News of Greater Phoenix 7/20: Where do CD9 candidates stand on Israel, foreign aid?
Arutz Sheva 7/19: MK Danon in US Congress to Promote Levy Report
JTA 7/19: House passed bill on expanded U.S.-Israeli military cooperation
Washington Free Beacon 7/16: Egypt Attaches Strings to Peace with Israel; Clinton silent as Egyptian officials reinterpret Camp David Accords [by referring to actual full text of accords, as ignored by both parties lo these many years...]
Bloomberg 7/16: Iranian Missile Threat Needs Updating, Lawmakers Say
The Miami Herald 7/16: Fighting Iran's criminal networks 18 years after attack on Jewish center in Argentina (by Ros-Lehtinen, R-FL)
Rosner's Domain (LA Jewish Journal) 7/15: What Congress candidate Sinema's emails reveal about her Israel position [accuses candidate of being anti-Israel]
El Nuevo Herald 7/15: La amenaza iranĂ­ en el Hemisferio Occidental (by Ros-Lehtinen, R-FL)
SCTimes 7/14: Bachmann sends Ellison letter in response to Muslim Brotherhood comments
The Forward 7/13: Out of Blue, Midwest Vote Becomes Israel Scrap - Joe Walsh and Tammy Duckworth Spar Over Middle East
The Cable 7/11 Will Congress pass new Iran sanctions this year?
Washington Free Beacon 7/10: Israel's Plight Ignored - Counterterrorism forum excludes Israel despite state's record of suffering terrorist attacks