President Donald Trump welcomes Rex Tillerson to his administration after Tillerson's swearing in as Secretary of State. Now the Department is facing budget cuts that are instigating a controversy with Jews.
This Special Office was originally opposed by the State Department, but George W. Bush thought it would help him carry Florida in 2004.
By Carolyn Yeager
AS PROMISED, A BIPARTISAN GROUP OF 167 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS [out of 435 – less than half] have signed a letter to President Donald Trump asking him to keep intact the State Department’s Office of Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism. As I posted on February 27, President Trump plans to cut billions of dollars from the State Department budget and this particular office is on the cutting board.
Rightly so, I would say.
But Jews and their allies in Congress are pushing to keep the 2004 legislation in place. The letter begins: “As Members of Congress who care deeply about anti-Semitism at home and abroad, we urge you to maintain and prioritize the appointment of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism.” The initiative was spearheaded by Jewish Representative Eliot Engel (D-NY) who also happens to be chairman of the World Jewish Congress International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians.
Of the five co-sponsors, three are also Jewish (Nita Lowey D-NY, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen R-FL, Ted Deutch D-FL), one is Black (Marc Veasey D-TX) and one is White Catholic who had been a sponsor in 2004 (Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ).
