Zionist Organization of America Analysis of Weakened Taylor Force Act

"Today, the Zionist Organization of America has asked supporters of Israel to reach out to their Congressional representatives in the House Foreign Affairs Committee in qualified support of the latest version of the Taylor Force Act (H.R. 1164), a proposed law which conditions only a portion of U.S. aid to the extremist, anti-Semitic, anti-US Palestinian Authority (PA) on the ending of the PA's regular practice of spending $355 million a year on salaries and pensions to Arab terrorists and families of Arab terrorists who murder Jews or Americans in Israel.

Today (Wednesday, November 15), the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) will hold a session to finalize the language of several bills, including the Taylor Force Act. The committee leadership from both parties will introduce a comprehensively revised version of the Taylor Force Act during this session...

This latest version still leaves much to be desired. While the original Taylor Force Act already excluded cuts to US aid given to the extremist PA to subsidize the PA's minimal security cooperation with Israel and monies donated to subsidize 'refugee' camps, it would at least have cut all remaining assistance, about $260 million (based on the 2017 budget) unless the PA ended its Nazi-like practice of paying Palestinian Arabs to commit atrocities against Jews, Israelis, and Americans in Israel.

The revised House bill, like the Senate bill, only cuts funds which, in the language of the convoluted political appropriations process, 'directly benefits' the anti-Semitic PA-even though every US 'indirect' dollar given to this Nazi-like Arab regime is actually of direct benefit to them in real terms. So this revised bill now excludes roughly half of the assistance under threat, amounting to only about $130 million.

Further, like the Senate bill, there is in this House version of the bill an exception carved out to support the 'East Jerusalem Hospital Network.' Unlike the Senate version, however, this House version included yet an additional exception to allow funding for 'assistance for wastewater projects'-apparently reflective of a direct request by the White House to enable Jason Greenblatt, Assistant to the President and Special Representative for International Negotiations, to have leverage over the PA by giving them additional funds free of the Taylor Force Act restrictions...

Additionally, this revised House version has introduced a needless and deeply troubling 'sunset' provision ensuring that, should it remain in place, the Taylor Force Act will remain in force only 'for fiscal year 2018 and each of the five subsequent fiscal years'. In other words, the Taylor Force Act under the House version will expire of its own accord at the close of fiscal year 2023! As it stands, this provision not only seriously undermines the intent of the original Taylor Force Act, it also recklessly holds the important statutory ground that would be gained by its enactment to the wishful presumption that this bi-partisan consensus will hold strong into the future. This 'sunset' clause was inserted due to pre-existing House rules intended to 'force Congress to determine if a program is worthy of continued taxpayer support.' ZOA believes that the insertion of this 'sunset' clause in this section of the Taylor Force Act is a misapplication of this particular House Rule..."