It is "stunning and unacceptable" that Senate Democrats rejected the House's stand-alone funding bill for Israel, particularly since the vote came on the day of the huge pro-Israel rally at the National Mall, Rep. Elise Stefanik told Newsmax on Saturday.
"The American people should know that Chuck Schumer and every Senate Democrat voted that down," the New York Republican told Newsmax's "Saturday Agenda" in an extensive interview. "House Republicans did our job. We passed a bipartisan Israel aid package."
She added that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., spoke at the rally on the night the Senate Democrats voted down the bill.
"We're going to continue to push this," she said."It is a question of a moral stance, and we will make sure that House Republicans continue to stand by our most precious ally in Israel."
Meanwhile, Stefanik, who chairs the House Education Workforce Committee and heads the congressional Harvard alumni Republican group, discussed an upcoming hearing that will bring in the president of Harvard Universities and students to face questions about "why they are embracing pro-Hamas sympathizers" and "why they are allowing Jewish students to be bullied and blocked from going into classrooms."
"This should never happen in America and this should never happen anywhere in the world," said Stefanik, who believes colleges should be reined in to ensure they protect the safety of all students.
"The reality is that antisemitism is on the rise in New York and on college campuses," Stefanik said. "We need to make sure that we, in addition to having accountability for these college campuses, make sure that we're promoting education."
She said she'll be introducing a bill, the "Never Again Education Act," to prompt Holocaust education in colleges and school districts.
Stefanik also Saturday discussed the vote to expel New York lawmaker George Santos from the House, saying she voted against the move because she had "very significant concerns about due process protections."
Republicans now are committed to making sure there is another party member elected in New York's upcoming special election, said Stefanik, adding she thinks there is a good chance that will happen.
In last year's local elections, she explained, Republicans swept Long Island and Nassau County and "parts of his district we need to hold," she said.
Stefanik further noted that President Joe Biden's numbers are continuing to plummet, so there will be "significant investment" in the race to replace Santos.
"I have confidence that the Republican candidate who will be our nominee is going to be a very strong candidate," she said. "I think we're not only going to hold this seat, but we're going to hold this seat with a fairly sizable margin. Look at the crises in the state, the crime crisis, the border crisis. People also are very concerned about Joe Biden's weak leadership, particularly his weak leadership when it comes to Israel and global affairs. Voters are paying attention."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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