(Washington, D.C. – 2/5/2024) – Representing millions of Americans who oppose sending money to Israel in the midst of its brutal attack on Gaza, the US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), American Muslims, and a coalition of prominent advocacy groups, including CODEPINK, Veterans for Peace, Doctors Against Genocide, Carolina Peace Center, Teachers Against Genocide, and Ceasefire 2024 will be converging on Capitol Hill Monday to Thursday, February 5-8. The advocates will be urging members of Congress to reject the proposed Congressional supplemental funding that would allocate tens more billions of dollars to Israel.
On the House side, Speaker Mike Johnson has declared that a stand-alone bill with a staggering $17.6 billion for Israel is set for a vote this week. Meanwhile, on the Senate side, Senator Schumer has announced that the Senate will finally vote on the long-awaited supplemental package of $105 billion, which provides funds for Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific, and the US-Mexico border.
Senator Bernie Sanders has put forth an amendment in the Senate bill to eliminate $10.1 billion earmarked for offensive weaponry to the Israeli government. Denouncing the death toll and suffering in Gaza as unacceptable, Sanders is calling for “zero funding for the continuation of Netanyahu’s illegal, immoral war against the Palestinian people.”
Advocates from the coalition will be urging Senators to support Sanders’ amendment. On the House side, advocates will be calling on Representatives to vote “NO” on sending $17.6 billion to Israel.
“Israel doesn’t need more taxpayer money to kill Palestinians and destroy more hospitals, schools, and homes. It is Gaza that needs to be rebuilt,” said the Secretary General of the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations Oussama Jammal.
“We have no idea if and how these two wildly different bills will ever be reconciled, and we hope they won’t be because we are vehemently opposed to both of them” said CODEPINK’s Medea Benjamin. “Sending billions to Israel while they are murdering tens of thousands of Palestinians and starving millions of people in Gaza is utterly reprehensible.”
“This money will be used to fund the weapons that destroy hospitals and kill our colleagues and their patients,” said Dr. Karameh Kuemmerle of Doctors Against Genocide. “We must stop our country from continuing to be complicit in the crime of genocide.”
The press can meet up with the group in the Senate Hart lobby, at 10 am, Monday through Thursday, February 5-8, 2024.
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