Arab Center Washington DC

1 week ago | arabcenterdc.org | Ethan Mayer- RichManager |Ethan Mayer-Rich

I. Legislative Branch1) LegislationLawmakers Continue Pressure on Campus Protests and Higher Ed Funding. On April 7, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) introduced H.R.2686, which would fine colleges and universities that violate students’ civil rights under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, citing concerns about alleged anti-Semitism on campus. On April 9, Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) and Rep.

2 weeks ago | arabcenterdc.org | Ethan Mayer- RichManager |Ethan Mayer-Rich

I. Legislative Branch1) LegislationFlurry of New Legislation Targets Iran. On March 26, Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO) introduced 1136 and H.R.2394, which would enhance criminal sentences for offenses directed by foreign governments, namely Iran. On March 31, Rep. William Keating (D-MA) introduced R.2505, which would require the US government to develop strategies to prevent the export of technologies related to unmanned aircraft systems to Iran. On April 1, Rep.

2 weeks ago | arabcenterdc.org | Ethan Mayer- RichManager |Ethan Mayer-Rich

On April 1, the United States closely followed special elections in Florida and Wisconsin. Under ordinary circumstances, an April election to fill two House seats in Florida and a Supreme Court vacancy in Wisconsin would not garner national attention, but these are not ordinary times. Tuesday’s elections offered a first measure, however small, of the country’s feelings toward President Donald Trump amid a series of recent controversies and radical policy changes.

3 weeks ago | arabcenterdc.org | Rami Khouri

In the past year—especially over the last two months—unprecedented developments in the Middle East and the United States have pulled the Palestinian struggle for justice into the heart of American politics. For the first time in the century-long Israel-Palestine conflict, an emerging national counterforce is taking shape in the United States to push back against the long-dominant pro-Israel focus of American foreign policy and militarism in the Middle East since the Second World War.

3 weeks ago | arabcenterdc.org | Ethan Mayer- RichManager |Ethan Mayer-Rich

I. Legislative Branch1) LegislationNew Bills Continue Pressure on Pro-Palestine Protests. On March 21, Rep. Austin Pfluger (R-TX) introduced H.R.2272, which would revoke the visa of any individual convicted of assaulting a police officer or of participating in “riots.” Rep. Pfluger also introduced H.R.2273, which would remove federal student aid benefits from individuals convicted of assaulting police officers or rioting. On March 27, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Rep.