WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following his “No” vote on H.Res. 845, Congressman Rob Menendez released the following statement:
“Let me be clear: I vehemently oppose Rep. Tlaib’s defense of the ‘From the River to the Sea’ chant and her inflammatory comments including those about the President. I stand with Israel in its right to self-defense and its continuing efforts to return hostages being held in Gaza to their families. And we must ensure that the events that occurred on October 7th never happen again.
“But despite my objection to Rep. Tlaib’s offensive and divisive rhetoric, I believe it is inappropriate to take this action against a Member for exercising their right to free speech, even if we find their words to be objectionable. Additionally, we must be mindful of the precedent that we set for this institution in each vote that we take. In the history of the House of Representatives, only 25 members have faced censure, the majority of which occurred before 1900.
“And these votes only distract us from the work that remains. A month has now passed since the brutal terrorist assault against Israel resulting in the loss of 1,400 lives. Hundreds of innocent civilians including Americans are being held hostage by Hamas, and we are seeing immense human suffering both in Israel and in Gaza. This is completely unacceptable. And as the global stage looks to the United States for leadership and assistance for one of our closest allies, this chamber has yet to pass a bipartisan aid package.
“These are trying times and there is serious work that we must tend to as an institution to address the challenges we are facing both domestically and abroad. These challenges must continue to be our top priority and primary focus. And they will always be mine.”
