House Dems Vote Against Anti-BDS Measure After GOP Adds It To Yemen Resolution
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By Aiden Pink April 4, 2019
Almost every House Democrat voted Thursday against an anti-BDS measure introduced by Republicans as an add-on to a resolution to end American support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen.
Democrats slammed Republicans for attempting to add the anti-BDS language, saying that the introduction of unrelated matters into an already-controversial resolution harmed the bipartisan pro-Israel consensus. The House eventually voted to eliminate the BDS language 228-194. Only five Democrats voted to keep it.
“Today is a sad day,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy tweeted. “Nearly every single Democrat just voted AGAINST Israel and in support of the BDS movement that seeks to destabilize the only democracy in the Middle East.”
But Rep. Brad Schneider, a Democrat from Illinois who has introduced his own anti-BDS resolution, said in a statement that the move was a “cynical ploy of weaponizing support for Israel for partisan political gain.”
The resolution passed the Senate last month 54-46, with seven Republicans joining Democrats in condemning Saudi Arabia’s actions, which United Nations monitors have said may amount to war crimes. But adding the BDS language would have required a new vote in the Senate, this time with a 60 vote threshold it was unlikely to clear.
Republicans have used multiple tactics to embarrass Democrats on Israel-related resolutions this year. In January, in the midst of the government shutdown, the first bill introduced by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was an anti-BDS measure – which Democrats voted against because it didn’t solve the shutdown.
After passing the House without any additions, the Yemen resolution will now go to the desk of President Trump, who has pledge to veto it.
Contact Aiden Pink at pink@forward.com or on Twitter, @aidenpink
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