It’s Thursday.
I will be off tomorrow as Alli has her yearly UCLA appointment. I will leave you in the capable hands of Halodoc.
President Biden’s public schedule for Thursday 05/25/2023:
| 10:00 AM | In-Town Pool Call Time In-Town Pool |
| 1:00 PM Press Briefing | Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre James S. Brady Press Briefing Room |
| 1:45 PM Remarks | The President announces his intent to nominate General Charles Q. Brown, Jr. to serve as the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; The Vice President, The Second Gentleman, and the Secretary of Defense attend |
Press Briefing:
President Biden’s Remarks:
Economic Tweet
From Wednesday…
Uvalde Tweets
From Wednesday…
The YouTube is 8 minutes and 49 seconds long.
Show more =’s never be the same. May God bless the 21 blessed souls lost on this day in Uvalde.
The video snip is 23 seconds long.
His full remarks:
Before I begin — well, I’m beginning, but — I realize this is a really tough day for all the families. Remembering is important, but it’s also painful.
One year ago today, Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, turned into another killing field in America.
A few days later, Jill and I traveled there and stood before those 21 crosses that were outside the school. On each cross, a name — like in these candles behind us — of 19 children — 9, 10, 11 years old — and 2 devoted educators, and 17 more injured. We spent hours with the grieving families who were broken and never, ever will quite be the same.
To the families of the children and to the educators who — we know that, one year later, it’s still so raw for you. A year of missed birthdays and holidays, school plays, soccer games, just that smile. A year of everyday joys gone forever. The bend in his smile. The perfect pitch of her laugh.
At a vigil a few months later, one of the moms said, “When I lay in bed and turn on my side, envisioning her staring back at me, I want so badly to be part of an alternative reality that just doesn’t exist. This is my reality, because my 10-year-old daughter was murdered in her fourth-grade classroom.”
Standing there in Uvalde, Jill and I couldn’t help but think that too many schools, too many everyday places have become killing fields in communities all across — every part of America.
And in each place, we hear the same message: Do something. For God’s sake, please do something.
We did something afterwards, but not nearly enough. We still need to ban, in my view, AR-15 firearms and assault weapons once again. You know, they’ve been used time and again in mass killings of innocent children and peoples.
We need to ban high-capacity magazines — the ability to shoot 20, 30, 40, 60 bullets without reloading. Because today, guns remain the number-one killer — the number-one killer of children in America. Guns.
And over the last year since Uvalde, our country has experienced a staggering 650 mass shootings and well over — it’s hard to say — well over 4- — 40,000 deaths due to gun violence.
We can’t end this epidemic until Congress passes some commonsense gun safety laws that keep weapons of war off our streets and out of the hands of dangerous people, until states do the same thing.
How many more parents will live their worst nightmare before we stand up to the gun lobby to establish universal background checks, establish national red-flag laws, require safe storage of storage of firearms, and end immunity from liability for gun manufacturers? The only — the only major corporate entities that doesn’t have — that’s immune to liability.
Even a majority of responsible gun owners support these commonsense actions to save lives and keep our communities safe.
So it’s time to act. It’s time to act. It’s time to make our voices heard — not as Democrats or as Republicans, but as friends, as neighbors, as parents, as fellow Americans. And I’m being deadly earnest when I say that.
You know, I know, for a long time it’s been hard to make progress. But there will come a point where our voices are so loud, our determination so clear that we can no longer be stopped. We will act.
You know, a year ago, after visiting the school, that same day, we attended mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. In the pews, families and friends held each other tightly. As the Archbishop spoke, he asked the children in attendance to come up on the altar and sit with him as he spoke on the altar.
And there wasn’t enough room for everybody to go up on the altar, so a mom and her young son sat next to us. They had us in the first pew; they sat next to us.
As we left the church, a grandmother, who had just lost her granddaughter, came up to us and quietly passed us a note — a handwritten letter.
And here’s what it read. “Erase the invisible line that is dividing our nation. Come up with a solution and fix what’s broken and make the changes that are necessary to prevent this from happening again.”
My fellow Americans, you know — you’ve — you can — you can almost feel the pain, for we’ve lost — we’ve lost children. We have to do this to save our children. For the nation we love, to erase that invisi- — invisible line.
Jill and I stand here today as, earlier this morning, we were talking about planning a memorial service this weekend celebrating the anniversary of the death of our son, Beau.
Well, guess what? Everyone’s pain is different. We, like many of you, have some understanding what it’s like to lose a child on more than one occasion.
For those who have lost a loved one in Uvalde — to the moms, the dads, the brothers, the sisters, and grandmoms, the grandpops, this is what I know: One, they’ll never be gone from your heart. They’ll always be part of you.
And I know this as well, as unbelievable as it sounds, I promise you a day will come when you pass that ice cream store or you pass that park, you pass that thing that brings back the memory of your son or daughter. It’s going to bring a smile to your lips when you think of them before it brings a tear to your eye.
That’s when you know you’re going to make it.
And our prayer for you, from the bottom of our heart, is that day come sooner than later — sooner than later. But God willing, it will come. As I said, that’s when you know you’re going to make it.
God bless those 21 blessed souls lost on this day in Uvalde. And may God bless their families. We’re thinking of you.
White House.gov. 05/24/2023.
The White House posted the following statement on behalf of Vice President Harris:
Nevaeh. Jacklyn. Makenna. Jose. Eliahna. Uziyah. Amerie Jo. Xavier. Jayce. Tess. Maranda. Alithia. Annabell. Maite. Alexandria. Layla. Jailah. Eliahna. Rojelio. And their teachers, Irma Garcia and Eva Mireles.
White House.gov. 05/24/2023.
Nineteen children and two educators who should be here with us today. They should still have birthdays to celebrate, graduations to plan, careers and lives to look forward to. Instead, one year ago today, they were killed in their elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, in a mass shooting carried out with a weapon of war.
Today, our nation continues to mourn for those lost, to pray for their families who must bear the unbearable, and to grieve for a country in which violence like this – even in elementary school classrooms – is sickeningly common. One year after Uvalde, gun violence remains the leading cause of death for children in our nation. One in five Americans has lost a family member to gun violence.
Over the past year, so many Uvalde families have channeled their anguish into advocacy. Together, they demand that we act to save lives. With their help, President Biden signed the most significant gun safety legislation in 30 years and implemented important executive actions in the months since. But more must be done.
Today, Doug and I pray for the people of Uvalde. And we urge leaders in Congress and in state legislatures to meet this heartbreaking moment not just with words, but with action.
George Floyd Tweets
From Thursday…
Show more =’s build on the progress we have made and recommit to changing hearts and minds as well as laws and policies.
Remarks by President Biden and Vice President Harris at Signing of Executive Order to Advance Effective, Accountable Policing and Strengthen Public Safety (05/25/2022).
The video snip is 15 seconds long.
President Biden:
You know what she told me when I saw her when she was a little girl two years ago? Seriously, she pulled me aside and she said, “My daddy is going to change the world.” [and he did] (Applause.)
White House.gov. 05/25/2022.
Thursday, the White House posted the following Fact-Sheet: Biden-Harris Administration Highlights Accomplishments on Anniversary of Historic Executive Order to Advance Effective, Accountable Policing and Strengthen Public Safety (05/25/2023).
One year ago, on May 25, 2022, President Biden signed a historic Executive Order on Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices to Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety. (EO 14074). The EO went into effect on the second anniversary of the murder of George Floyd.
Through EO 14074, the President put federal policing on the path to becoming the gold standard of effectiveness and accountability by requiring federal law enforcement agencies to: ban chokeholds; restrict no-knock warrants; mandate the use of body-worn cameras; implement stronger use-of-force policies, including with the duty to intervene and duty to render medical aid; provide de-escalation training; submit use-of-force data to the FBI’s Use-of-Force Data Collection; submit officer misconduct records into a new national accountability database; and restrict the sale or transfer of military equipment to local law enforcement agencies, among other things. The EO also directs the use of federal tools, such as guidance on best practices, technical assistance, and grantmaking to support similar reforms within state, Tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) law enforcement agencies.
Agencies across the federal government have made significant progress in implementing the requirements of the EO. Recognizing that effective implementation of the EO requires not just a whole-of-government approach, but a whole-of-society effort, agencies also have engaged directly with stakeholders throughout the implementation process, including with law enforcement associations, civil rights groups, labor organizations, technical experts, and families impacted by police violence.
The Administration remains committed to fully implementing the EO and strengthening public trust and public safety. And the President continues to call for Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to advance accountability, transparency, and public trust in law enforcement. Real change at the state and local level requires Congressional action.
Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is providing a status update on actions taken under the Executive Order in the following areas:
White House.gov. 05/25/2023.
Promoting Accountability
The Executive Order has resulted in concrete actions to increase law enforcement accountability.
- Restrictions on Access to Certain Military Equipment: DHS, DOD, DOJ, GSA, and Treasury have taken steps to ensure that certain militarized equipment—including certain firearms and ammunition, bayonets, grenades and grenade launchers, explosives, and certain vehicles and aircraft—are not sold or transferred to STLT law enforcement agencies. These restrictions will strengthen public trust while ensuring state and local law enforcement agencies can access and use needed equipment for appropriate purposes, such as active shooter scenarios.
- Guidance for Federal Law Enforcement on the Use of Race, Ethnicity, and Other Protected Characteristics: DOJ updated its 2014 Guidance on the Use of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, National Origin, Religion, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity. The updated guidance, which explains the restrictions on relying on race and other protected characteristics, strengthens existing protections, including by adding disability as a protected category.
- Deaths in Custody Investigations: DOJ published guidance for STLT law enforcement agencies for investigating deaths in custody.
- Pattern or Practice Investigations: DOJ strengthened communication with State Attorneys General on pattern or practice investigations and enhanced protocols for federal investigations of federal civil rights violations by law enforcement officers.
- Internal Investigations: Federal agencies, including DOJ and DHS, analyzed and made necessary updates to their internal processes for investigating use-of-force incidents involving their law enforcement components.
- National Law Enforcement Accountability Database: DOJ partnered with the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST) to establish the National Law Enforcement Accountability Database. IADLEST runs the National Decertification Index (NDI), a national registry of law enforcement de-certification and revocation actions relating to officer misconduct that is currently used by all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Department is working with IADLEST to: (1) expand upon the existing NDI to include the additional categories of information required by the Executive Order; and (2) establish a system for making available Federal law enforcement records based on the NDI model. The Department aims to have the database launched by the end of the year.
Raising Standards
The Executive Order raises standards for Federal Law Enforcement Agencies.
- Use of Force Policies: Federal law enforcement agencies, including DOJ, DHS, and DOI, which encompass more than 90% of all federal law enforcement officers, have adopted policies that:
- Emphasize the importance of valuing and preserving human life;
- Allow the use of deadly force only when necessary, that is, when the officer has a reasonable belief that the subject of such force poses an imminent danger of death or serious physical injury to the officer or another person;
- Require training in and employing where feasible de-escalation tactics and techniques;
- Explicitly include the affirmative duty to intervene to prevent or stop another officer from using excessive force;
- Explicitly include the affirmative duty to request and/or render medical aid, as appropriate.
- Chokeholds and No-Knock Entry Policy: Federal executive law enforcement agencies, including DOJ, DHS, and DOI, which encompass more than 90% of federal law enforcement officers, banned chokeholds and carotid restraints, unless deadly force is authorized, and limited the use of “no-knock” entries.
- Body-worn Cameras (BWC): Federal law enforcement agencies, including DOJ, DHS, and DOI, which encompass more than 90% of all federal law enforcement officers, issued policies requiring officers to wear and activate BWC recording equipment for purposes of recording their actions during a pre-planned attempt to serve an arrest warrant or other pre-planned arrest or the execution of a search or seizure warrant or order, and included a presumption that BWC recordings depicting conduct resulting in serious bodily injury or death of another will be released as soon as practical.
- Strengthening recruitment, hiring, promotion, and retention of law enforcement officers. An Office of Personnel Management (OPM)-led working group of federal law enforcement agencies has developed an action plan identifying a set of core policies and best practices to be used across all federal law enforcement agencies regarding recruitment, hiring, promotion, and retention. The working group also identified best practices for performance evaluations and promotion decisions for federal law enforcement officers, as well as for conducting background investigations and implementing properly validated selection and screening procedures.
Supporting State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Law Enforcement
Through federal tools such as guidance, technical assistance, and grantmaking, the Executive Order encourages and supports state, Tribal, local, and territorial law enforcement agencies to adopt and implement best practices.
- Grantmaking: Key federal agencies are awarding discretionary grants in a manner that supports and promotes the adoption of the Executive Order’s policies by STLT law enforcement agencies. For example, starting with the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 grant cycle, in relevant solicitations, DOJ included language outlining priority consideration for applicants that have policies or practices in line with substantive provisions of the Executive Order for which the Department has issued policies, guidance, or best practices. The Department will expand the list of priority considerations in solicitations for FY 2024 and going forward, to include best practices and guidance the Department has developed and published in recent months. HHS included similar language for its Mental Health Awareness Training Grant program and its Behavior Health Partnership for Early Diversion of Adults and Youth program. DHS will include incentivizing language in its discretionary grants to STLT law enforcement agencies beginning in FY 2024, where appropriate.
- Accreditation Standards: DOJ created first-of-their-kind accreditation standards to encourage STLT law enforcement agencies to adopt policies consistent with those highlighted in the Executive Order. These standards were developed in consultation with accrediting bodies, law enforcement stakeholders, and civil rights groups, and are designed to help ensure STLT law enforcement agencies seeking accreditation are following best policing practices in such areas as:
- Hiring and performance evaluation of officers and supervisors;
- Use of force policies in line with DOJ’s policy;
- Directives on the use of in-car and body-worn cameras; and
- Submission of important crime data to the FBI.
- Officer Wellness: DOJ and HHS published a report outlining best practices for STLT law enforcement agencies regarding officer wellness and will soon publish a second on preventing law enforcement suicide, both of which are based on engagement with dozens of stakeholder groups.
- Guidelines for Emergency Responses to People with Behavioral Health or Other Disabilities: HHS and DOJ jointly developed guidance regarding emergency responses to calls and interactions with people in behavioral or mental health crisis or persons who have disabilities. The guidance addresses response models and the facilitation of post-crisis support services as well as federal resources, including Medicaid, that can be used to implement established and emerging best practices.
- Notifications of Deaths in Custody: DOJ published guidance for STLT law enforcement agencies on best practices for notifications to families of individuals who die in law enforcement custody, including timely and appropriate notification of, and support to, family members.
- Studying the Impact of Use-of-Force Incidents on Communities. HHS published a report examining the effects of use of force by law enforcement officers on individual and community physical, mental, and public health.
Improving Conditions of Persons Incarcerated or Under Supervision
The Executive Order directed actions to improve conditions of confinement and promote better outcomes for individuals who are incarcerated or under supervision.
- The White House Alternatives, Rehabilitation, and Reentry Strategic Plan. As mandated by the EO, in April the Biden-Harris Administration released its evidence-informed, multi-year Strategic Plan to strengthen public safety by reducing unnecessary criminal justice system interactions so police officers can focus on fighting crime; supporting rehabilitation during incarceration; and facilitating successful reentry. The plan builds upon President Biden’s Safer America Plan – his comprehensive strategy to prevent and combat gun crime and violence – and outlines more than 100 concrete policy actions to strengthen public safety and improve the criminal justice system by leveraging data, research, and proven successful strategies from state and local governments across the country.
- Restrictive Housing: DOJ published a report on BOP’s use of restrictive housing and efforts to reduce its use. The report also highlights BOP’s work to address and decrease the use of restrictive housing, including partnering with the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) to study and provide recommendations on BOP’s use of restrictive housing and creating a task force of senior BOP officials to conduct a more immediate assessment and provide recommendations.
- Conditions of Confinement: DOJ published a report outlining conditions of confinement for individuals in BOP and U.S. Marshal Service (USMS) custody and planned steps to continue to improve medical care and health outcomes, expand services for women in custody and Medication-Assisted Treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder.
- First Step Act: DOJ published a report on efforts to fully implement the provisions and intent of the First Step Act, including by:
- Maximizing the availability of time credits to eligible people in BOP custody;
- Assessing and updating the PATTERN assessment;
- Increasing the availability of Evidence Based Recidivism Reduction programs;
- Providing and expanding access to Medication Assisted Treatment for individuals with opioid substance use disorders; and
- Evaluating and enhancing BOP’s rehabilitation and reentry programs.
- Probation and Supervised Release Resources: DOJ, in consultation with the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, the U.S. Sentencing Commission, and the Federal Defender Service, published a report on the resources available to individuals on probation or supervised release, including how DOJ has utilized resources to facilitate successful outcomes for individuals on probation or supervised release.
Strengthening Data Collection and Technology
The Executive Order has led to significant actions to improve data collection and analysis and assess the impact of new technologies.
- Tracking data on use-of-force incidents. Federal law enforcement agencies are collecting and submitting on a monthly basis all data on incidents involving use of deadly force compiled by the FBI’s Use-of-Force Data Collection.
- Encouraging STLT Participation in National Use-of-Force Data Collection: DOJ provided training and technical assistance to federal and STLT law enforcement agencies for contributing data to the FBI’s National Use-of-Force data collection program.
- Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted: DOJ provided training and technical assistance to STLT law enforcement agencies for contributing data to the Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted data collection program.
- Death in Custody Reporting Act: DOJ published a report outlining steps it has taken to fully implement the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013 and identified strategies to increase reporting and improve the collection overall.
- National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS): DOJ published a report on the efforts, led by the FBI and Bureau of Justice Assistance, to assist STLT law enforcement agencies transition to NIBRS.
- Review of Current Data Collections: DOJ and OMB will publish a report on efforts to improve current data collections, such as the National Crime Victimization Survey, the Police-Public Contact Survey Supplement, and the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics Survey.
- Data Reporting: The Criminal Justice Statistics Interagency Working Group and Domestic Policy Council assessed data collection, use, and transparency practices with respect to law enforcement activities. The Working Group published a report on recommended actions the federal government, state lawmakers, law enforcement, and advocates can take to improve data on policing at national and local levels.
- Advanced Surveillance and Forensic Technologies. A working group on advanced surveillance and forensic technologies will make recommendations to the President pertaining to acquisition, use, and oversight.
President Biden released the following statement:
The day before her father’s funeral, George Floyd’s young daughter Gianna told me, “Daddy changed the world.” Three years after her father’s murder, my answer to Gianna remains the same: he has.
George Floyd’s murder exposed for many what Black and Brown communities have long known and experienced — that we must make a whole of society commitment to ensure that our Nation lives up to its founding promise of fair and impartial justice for all under the law. The injustice on display for the world to see sparked one of the largest civil rights movements in generations — with calls from all corners to acknowledge and address the challenges in our criminal justice system and in our institutions more broadly.
A year ago today, Kamala and I stood next to the family of George Floyd, civil rights leaders, and law enforcement officials to sign my executive order, which applies key elements of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to federal law enforcement: banning chokeholds, restricting no-knock warrants, establishing a database for police misconduct, and other measures to advance effective and accountable policing that builds public trust and increases public safety. Across our Administration, we have made significant progress in fulfilling the requirements of my EO, making policing safer, more equitable, and more effective.
But we know that implementing real and lasting change at the state and local levels requires Congress to act. I urge Congress to enact meaningful police reform and send it to my desk. I will sign it. I will continue to do everything in my power to fight for police accountability in Congress, and I remain willing to work with Republicans and Democrats alike on genuine solutions.
Equal justice is a covenant we each have with one another. Today, three years after George Floyd’s murder, let us build on the progress we have made thus far and recommit to the work we must continue to do every day to change hearts and minds as well as laws and policies.
As a Nation, may we ensure that George Floyd’s legacy and the legacy of so many others we also honor every day are not solely about their deaths, but what we do to honor their memory.
White House.gov. 05/25/2023.
National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism Announcement Tweet
From Thursday…
The video clip is 1 minute and 22 seconds long.
President Biden:
In the past several years, hate has been given too much oxygen fueling a record rise in antisemitism. It’s simply wrong. We must say clearly and forcefully that antisemitism and all forms of hate and violence have no place in America.
That’s why today I’m releasing the first ever national strategy to counter antisemitism. It’s the most ambitious and comprehensive U.S. government led effort to fight antisemitism in American history. And it directs the whole of society, whole of society effort in four key ways.
Twitter@POTUS. 05/25/2023.
- Increasing awareness and understanding of both antisemitism and Jewish America Heritage.
- Improving safety and security for Jewish communities.
- Reversing the normalization of antisemitism and countering anti-semtic discrimination.
- Building cross-community solidarity and collective action to fight hate.
This strategy includes over one hundred bold and unprecedented actions that government agencies are going to take to counter antisemitism. This U.S. national strategy to counter antisemitism is a historic step forward. It sends a clear and forceful message: In America, evil will not win. Hate will not prevail. The venom and violence of antisemitism will not be the story of our time.
Twitter@POTUS. 05/25/2023.
FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Releases First-Ever U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism (05/25/2023):
Administration announces 100 new actions and over 100 calls to action to combat antisemitism, including new actions to counter antisemitism on college campuses and online; whole-of-society strategy includes new stakeholder commitments.
Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is releasing the first-ever U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. This strategy includes over 100 new actions the Administration will take to raise awareness of antisemitism and its threat to American democracy, protect Jewish communities, reverse the normalization of antisemitism, and build cross-community solidarity.
White House.gov. 05/25/2023.
President Biden decided to run for President after what we all saw in Charlottesville in 2017, when Neo-Nazis marched from the shadows spewing the same antisemitic bile that was heard in Europe in the 1930s. That is why he has prioritized action to counter antisemitism and hate of all kinds.
The United States has recently experienced an alarming increase in antisemitic incidents, among other acts of hatred. American Jews account for 2.4% of the U.S. population, but they are the victims of 63% of reported religiously motivated hate crimes, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
While antisemitic incidents most directly and intensely affect the Jewish community, antisemitism threatens all of us. Antisemitic conspiracy theories fuel other forms of hatred, discrimination, and bias—including discrimination against other religious minorities, racism, sexism, and anti-LGBTQI+ hate. Antisemitism seeks to divide Americans from one another, erodes trust in government and nongovernmental institutions, and undermines our democracy.
That is why, in December, President Biden established the Interagency Policy Committee on Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Related Forms of Bias and Discrimination, led by the White House Domestic Policy Council and National Security Council. As its first order of business, President Biden tasked this group with producing the first-ever U.S. national strategy to counter antisemitism in the United States.
This national strategy sets forth a whole-of-society plan that both meets this moment of escalating hatred and lays the foundation for reducing antisemitism over time. Informed by input from over 1,000 stakeholders from every sector of American society, it outlines over 100 new actions that Executive Branch agencies have committed to take in order to counter antisemitism—all of which will be completed within a year. The strategy also calls on Congress to enact legislation that would help counter antisemitism and urges every sector of society to mobilize against this age-old hatred, including state and local governments, civil society, schools and academic institutions, the tech sector, businesses, and diverse religious communities.
To support the whole-of-society call to action, today the Biden-Harris Administration also announced commitments to counter antisemitism and build cross-community solidarity by organizations across the private sector, civil society, religious and multi-faith communities, and higher education. Today’s announcements include commitments from the Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee, Asian American Foundation, Black Jewish Entertainment Alliance, College of William & Mary, Council on American-Islamic Relations, Foundation to Combat Antisemitism alongside six professional sports leagues, Interfaith Alliance, Jewish Council for Public Affairs, National Action Network, National Basketball Players Association, National Urban League, Polarization & Extremism Research & Innovation Lab at American University, Recording Academy, Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, Sikh Coalition, Southern Poverty Law Center, and UnidosUS. The Administration calls on additional organizations to join this existing group in establishing their own impactful initiatives to counter antisemitism.
The Biden-Harris Administration will ensure the strategy’s effective implementation and leverage it to advance our fight against other forms of hate. In addition, the strategy reaffirms the United States’ unshakable commitment to the State of Israel’s right to exist, its legitimacy, and its security—and makes clear that when Israel is singled out because of anti-Jewish hatred, that is antisemitism.
To read the full strategy, all agency actions, and the Administration’s calls to action, click here. Among other steps, the Biden-Harris Administration will:
Pillar 1: Increase awareness and understanding of antisemitism, including its threat to America, and broaden appreciation of Jewish American heritage
Far too many Americans do not recognize antisemitism and understand its threat to our society. The U.S. government will harness our collective resources to increase education about antisemitism and its threat to democracy, the Holocaust, and Jewish contributions to American society.
In 2024, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum will launch the first-ever U.S.-based Holocaust education research center. Once the new center is fully operational, it will undertake systematic, rigorous, and actionable research into teaching and learning about the Holocaust and study the impact and effectiveness of Holocaust education in the U.S. Agencies will also create new materials on contemporary antisemitism and Jewish American heritage and history. The U.S. government will also bolster research on antisemitism, its impact on American society, and its intersection with other forms of hate through funding opportunities, resources, and outreach from several agencies.
Furthermore, the U.S. government will raise awareness on these topics both inside and outside of classroom environments, including in the workplace, in museums and libraries, and in the media. Federal agencies will incorporate information about antisemitic bias and discrimination and about workplace religious accommodations into their training programs. Additionally, the Office of Personnel Management, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and Office of Management and Budget will conduct learning sessions for agency diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility officers on antisemitism and related forms of discrimination, as well as workplace religious accommodations.
White House.gov. 05/25/2023.
Pillar No. 2: Improve safety and security for Jewish communities
All Americans deserve to practice their faith freely and live their lives without the fear of attack or harassment. Many Jews in America do not have that peace of mind. Violent attacks against Jews are increasing. Verbal harassment, bomb threats, and vandalism against Jewish people, synagogues, and community institutions remain prevalent. A more holistic approach to improve safety and security for Jewish and other vulnerable communities will help prevent violence against Jewish communities in the near term and reduce the threat in the future.
America cannot effectively counter antisemitism if we lack robust data on the phenomenon, online and in our communities. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, with the DPC and National Security Council (NSC), will launch an interagency effort to understand and eliminate the impediments to reporting of hate incidents.
The Administration will continue to prioritize combating hate and discrimination in all its forms, including hate crimes, and to ensure robust engagement between law enforcement, government leaders, civil rights organizations, and the communities they serve. Among other actions, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will conduct a series of workshops on countering antisemitic and other forms of hate-motivated violence against communities impacted by targeted violence. Department of Justice (DOJ) offices across the country will undertake targeted engagement with community-based groups including youth, faith leaders, cultural leaders, and civil rights organizers from Jewish communities and other communities victimized by hate crimes.
We will join Americans in expanding community-based prevention efforts to reach and guide individuals off the pathway to antisemitic violence. NSC will amplify financial, technical, and training assistance offered to state and local partners establishing and expanding these community-based prevention efforts.
To improve threat information sharing between law enforcement and online platforms, the FBI and National Counterterrorism Center will conduct an annual threat assessment on antisemitic drivers of transnational violent extremism that can be shared with technology companies and other nongovernmental partners. A declassified version of the first threat assessment, released today, is available here. And to address foreign support for antisemitism in the U.S., the NSC will review the authorities and capabilities of federal agencies to target transnational networks seeking to foster antisemitism in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Also today, DHS and DOJ published a resource guide titled “Protecting Places of Worship: Six Steps to Enhance Security Against Targeted Violence,” outlining actions Jewish and other faith-based organizations and houses of worship can take to increase security through easily implementable steps that sustain an open and welcoming environment. And the Administration calls on Congress to fully fund its FY24 budget request of $360 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP)—$55 million above the FY23 enacted amount.
White House.gov. 05/25/2023.
Pillar 3: Reverse the normalization of antisemitism and counter antisemitic discrimination
One of the most alarming aspects of the current wave of antisemitism is the extent to which it has become “normalized.” Antisemitic conspiracy theories and content are rampant online and in public spaces. High-profile politicians, athletes, celebrities, and others have used their influential platforms to spread conspiracy theories and Holocaust denialism.
The Biden-Harris Administration will, first and foremost, continue speaking out clearly and forcefully against antisemitism and those who peddle it, and urge all sectors of society to do the same. In addition, the U.S. Government will take steps wherever it can to tackle the rise of antisemitism online. We also call on Congress to hold social media platforms accountable for spreading hate-fueled violence, including antisemitism; impose much stronger transparency requirements on online platforms; and pass legislation requiring platforms to enable timely and robust public interest research, including on the spread of antisemitism and other forms of hate.
The Biden-Harris Administration also encourages all online platforms to independently commit to taking several actions that will counter antisemitism, including: ensuring terms of service and community standards explicitly cover antisemitism; adopting zero-tolerance for hate speech terms of service and community standards and permanently banning repeat offenders of these policies; investing in the human and technical resources necessary to enable vigorous and timely enforcement of their terms of service and community standards; improving their capabilities to stop recommending and de-rank antisemitic and other hateful content; increasing the transparency of their algorithmic recommendation systems and data; treating antisemitism as a distinct category in transparency reports; and more.
The government will also counter antisemitism in K-12 schools and on college campuses. The Department of Education (ED) will launch an Antisemitism Awareness Campaign in 2023. Today, ED is issuing a Dear Colleague Letter to schools, reminding them of their legal obligation under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to address complaints of discrimination, including harassment, based on race, color, or national origin, including shared ancestry, such as Jewish ancestry, and ethnic characteristics. Senior ED officials, along with other federal partners and influencers, will visitschools and institutions of higher education (IHEs) that are effectively addressing antisemitism to amplify their efforts, as well as schools and IHEs that need help responding to an uptick in antisemitic activity.
Federal agencies also commit to using and raising awareness about federal laws prohibiting antisemitic discrimination to ensure that stakeholders understand these legal obligations and that affected individuals know how to file complaints. For example, today, the Department of Housing and Urban Development issued a letter to the over 200 federally-funded Fair Housing Initiatives Programs and Fair Housing Assistance Programs on how to identify and counter antisemitism, Islamophobia, and related forms of bias and discrimination in housing. Eight agencies—the Departments of Agriculture, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Homeland Security, Interior, Transportation, and Treasury—will produce fact sheets explaining that Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, including certain antisemitic and related forms of discrimination and bias in federally funded programs and activities.
Agencies will promote religious communities’ equitable access to government programs. The Department of Agriculture will work to ensureequal access to all USDA feeding programs for USDA customers with religious dietary needs, including kosher and halal dietary needs. The Biden-Harris Administration will ensure that appropriate accommodations are made for religious practices, including Jewish observance. To this end, the EEOC will broadly disseminate its materials on nondiscrimination and religious accommodations in the workplace to employers and employees, including federal agencies, nongovernmental employers, and workplace Employee Resource Groups.
White House.gov. 05/25/2023.
Pillar 4: Build cross-community solidarity and collective action to counter hate
Any effort to counter antisemitism must be grounded in work that unites Americans from all backgrounds and beliefs to work in common purpose to stand united against hate. The Administration will identify and support the scaling of the most effective cross-community, solidarity-building efforts to counter hate, including antisemitism. The White House Office of Public Engagement will launch the Ally Challenge, inviting Americans to describe their acts of allyship with Jewish or other communities that are not their own.
To expand and mobilize multi-faith partnerships, the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, alongside federal agencies and diverse faith leaders,will produce a toolkit for faith communities on standing in solidarity with other religious communities to counter antisemitism and other forms of hate.
The strategy builds upon the Biden-Harris Administration’s strong record of support for Jewish Americans and action to counter antisemitism:
White House.gov. 05/25/2023.
- In 2021, President Biden signed Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act and the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which enhance state and local law enforcement agencies’ ability to respond to hate crimes.
- In fiscal year 2022, President Biden secured a 40% increase in the NSGP, which supports the physical security of nonprofit organizations, including synagogues and other houses of worship.
- In September 2022, President Biden hosted the United We Stand Summit to affirm our shared commitment across all American communities to fighting hate.
- In June 2021, the Administration released the first-ever U.S. National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism.
- President Biden nominated Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt to serve as the first Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism to have been appointed at the Ambassador level.
- Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of a President or Vice President of the United States, has focused crucial attention on the rise of antisemitism. He has met with interfaith leaders and special envoys from around the world to advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to combat antisemitism and support Holocaust remembrance.
- The White House hosted the first High Holiday reception, established the first permanent White House menorah during Hanukkah, and hosted the first White House reception for Jewish American Heritage Month.
- Agencies around the executive branch have honored Jewish Americans’ contributions throughout Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) in May. For example, the FBI held its first-ever JAHM celebration this year with U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, Ambassador Lipstadt, and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate. USDA hosted a JAHM event focused on Jewish contributions to agriculture and the fight against hunger in America.
Among the external commitments that stakeholders have committed to take:
- The National Basketball Players Association will launch a Global Leadership Fellowship will bring together NBA players, civil rights leaders, and human rights organizations to examine issues of race, antisemitism, and the historical legacy of discrimination. Combining travel to places like Selma, Alabama, Auschwitz, the Japanese Internment Camps, and Yad Vashem in Israel with small group learning with clergy and civil rights leaders, participating players will examine and challenge preconceived notions, creating a new perception of their society and their role in it.
- The National Action Network, National Urban League, the Asian American Foundation, UnidosUS, and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) will co-convene local dialogues with organizations that serve Jewish, Black, Asian American, Latino, and other vulnerable communities, including Jews of Color, with the goal of building mutual understanding, countering extremism, and addressing manifestations of bigotry within, across, and impacting ethnic, racial, and religious communities. Their national organizations and local affiliates will create inclusive spaces in multiple cities for open and honest discussions to continue to build relationships that will serve as a foundation for a united front against antisemitism, racism, and all forms of hate.
- Professional sports leagues and teams will come together for a convening hosted by the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism to discuss strategies, tools and best practices to effectively combat antisemitism and all forms of hate. The conversation will include participants from the National Basketball Association, Women’s National Basketball Association, National Football League, National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) and the Eradicate Hate Global Summit Sports Working Group.
- The Council on American-Islamic Relations will launch a tour to educate religious communities about steps they can take to protect their houses of worship from hate incidents, such as instituting appropriate security measures, developing strong relationships with other faith communities, and maintaining open lines of communication with local law enforcement.
- The ADL will partner with the Interparliamentary Task Force to Combat Online Antisemitism to convene a meeting in the fall to examine the impact of artificial intelligence and generative artificial intelligence on online antisemitism.
- The American Jewish Committee (AJC) will expand its Call to Action Against Antisemitism in America to mobilize all sectors of American society to understand, respond to, and prevent antisemitism.
- The College of William and Mary will sponsor its Dean of Students’ participation in a Fellowship and Summer Institute on Antisemitism and Jewish Inclusion in Educational Settings. They will also host a full-year “lunch and learn” program for faculty and staff designed to bridge differences and educate on topics such as “The Convergence of Abrahamic Major Religious Holidays: A Discussion of Interfaith and Religious Diversity.” William and Mary will also support a co-curricular series on faith in action for students, including field trips to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
- The Interfaith Alliance will publish a new resource guide, “Mobilizing Against Antisemitism,” to educate its national network about antisemitism and engage diverse communities in building partnerships to fight hate. The resource guide illustrates how antisemitism appears in communities across the country today and offers guidance on how to best challenge antisemitism through education, building community partnerships, and supporting the work of Jewish organizations. Interfaith Alliance will share this guide and associated training with its over 60,000 individual supporters and activists around the country, many of whom are leaders in their own congregations, and 15 state affiliates with strong state and local faith networks.
- The Recording Academy will host a listening session with Recording Academy Leadership in July 2023, specifically curated for creators in Jewish music. Their primary objective for this session is to establish a safe and inclusive environment where leaders in Jewish music can come together to ignite meaningful discussions and foster a strong sense of community. In addition, the Recording Academy will collaborate with the Black Jewish Entertainment Alliance to present a panel discussion commemorating the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop. The panel discussion aims to honor and celebrate Hip Hop while acknowledging the profound cultural collaboration between Black and Jewish leaders within the industry.
- The Sikh Coalition will issue a guide for law enforcement to address hate crimes better. It also plans to publish guidance for federal policymakers to address hate in all forms against communities, including whole-of-society policy proposals.
- The Southern Poverty Law Center and the Polarization & Extremism Research & Innovation Lab at American University will develop free resources against extremism and antisemitism. They are committed to providing these resources to the people building community resilience against extremism and working for a more just and inclusive society.
- The Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, in collaboration with the ADL and AJC, will ensure that every faith-based Employee Resource Group of Fortune 500 companies receives ADL and AJC materials on countering antisemitism and related forms of discrimination and bias, workplace religious accommodations, and Jewish culture and contributions to American and world history.
- The Jewish Council for Public Affairs will build coalitions that bring together Jewish organizations and individuals together with diverse racial, ethnic, faith, and civic leaders and groups to combat discrimination, bigotry, and exclusion and protect democracy. These coalitions will provide guidance, best practices, advocacy tools, model legislation, and other resources to enable the 125 local Jewish Community Relations Councils across the country to enlist and empower their communities in the fight against antisemitism, hate, and anti-democratic extremism.
I omitted a tweet on purpose to use in the OWL for Friday.
This is an Open Thread.
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