Combating BDS Bill Advances In Senate

Now that the government shutdown is over, the GOP Senate has resumed work on its top legislative priority: imposing more sanctions on Syria and punishing those who boycott Israel.

“he fourth time was the charm as the U.S. Senate finally cleared a major procedural hurdle to vote on a bill on Republican-introduced legislation that, if enacted, would impose fresh sanctions on Syria, boost security cooperation with Israel and Jordan, and attempt to tackle the anti-Israel BDS movement domestically.

The final tally to invoke cloture was 74-19.

The Senators who voted against the motion included Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Mass.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.). …

The Combating BDS Act says that state and local governments have the right to punish state or local contractors from engaging in boycotting Israel. Such a measure has come under fire from the American Civil Liberties Union, which has said that it would violate the First Amendment. Senators such as Gillibrand, Van Hollen, Warren, Feinstein and Sanders have also expressed opposition, citing the ACLU’s concerns. …”

I didn’t bother to vote for GOP Congress in the last election.

What’s the point? It’s like choosing who is going to represent Jews in the Knesset. The GOP isn’t going to do a damn thing we want anyway. It is focused on stuff like this and criminal justice reform and tax cuts and amnesty for illegal aliens and other stuff their donors want.