Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has reportedly promised Jewish leaders he will try to pass the Antisemitism Awareness Act by the end of the year, Axios reported Tuesday.
The bill is meant to protect Jewish students on campus by adding protections to anti-discrimination laws after countless incidents of harassment and violence have been reported since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war in late 2023, sources told Axios. Schumer reportedly plans to attach the act to the National Defense Authorization Act, which is responsible for setting the national defense budget for the Department of Defense, which will be voted on after the Nov. 5 election.
The act passed the House in May with some bipartisan support, though many objected to the bill’s language defining antisemitism, arguing it was too broad and would not do enough to solve the rampant antisemitism crisis, according to Axios. The bill also divided many Democrats who oppose the bill’s defining statements like “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination” and “drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” as antisemitic.
Pro-Israel groups have grown frustrated with Schumer’s inability to get the bill through the Senate, Axios reported.
Antisemitism has plagued college campuses since Oct. 7 2023, with record-high antisemitic hate crimes being reported and several universities under fire for allegedly not doing enough to protect Jewish students from harassment. Hundreds of students have been arrested for their participation in anti-Israel protests.
Schumer’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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