Hoyer Sends Letter Calling for Judiciary Committee Hearings on Rise of Hate Crimes, Domestic Terrorism
Press Types
Press Release
For Immediate Release:
October 31, 2018
Contact Info:
Mariel Saez 202-225-3130
WASHINGTON, DC – House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD) sent a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan today in support of House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler’s call for hearings on the increase in hate crimes and domestic terrorism.
In the letter, Hoyer notes: “After the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh this past Saturday, the House of Representatives can no longer deny what statistics have amply and unmistakably demonstrated over the course of the last several months: domestic terrorism and hate directed at minority religious and ethnic groups is on the rise in the United States, particularly anti-Semitism.”
The letter concludes: “Ultimately, what the House chooses to do with its time is a reflection of its values and priorities. If the institution you have led for the last three years cannot summon the will to confront the promoters of hate in this country and their followers, these malign elements will win, at least in the short-term. At this time of escalating racism, anti-Semitism, and hate, it is essential that the House meet its responsibilities not only to expose this crisis but fashion effective responses to it without delay.”
Click here to view the letter or see below.
The Honorable Paul Ryan
Speaker
House of Representatives
H-232, The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Speaker Ryan:
I write to express my strong and unequivocal support for House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler’s call for the Committee to convene hearings on the rising scourge of hate crimes and domestic terrorism.
After the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh this past Saturday, the House of Representatives can no longer deny what statistics have amply and unmistakably demonstrated over the course of the last several months: domestic terrorism and hate directed at minority religious and ethnic groups is on the rise in the United States, particularly anti-Semitism. According to the Anti-Defamation League in its annual Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents, “the number of anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. rose 57 percent in 2017 – the largest single-year increase on record and the second highest number reported since ADL started tracking such data in 1979. The sharp rise was in part due to a significant increase in incidents in schools and on college campuses, which nearly doubled for the second year in a row.”
Just as troubling has been the sharp rise of hate groups across the United States over the past two decades. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, “the number of hate groups rose to 953 in 2017, from 917 in 2016. Within the white supremacist movement, neo-Nazi groups saw the greatest growth – soaring by 22 percent. Anti-Muslim groups rose for a third straight year.” To put this figure in perspective, in 1999, according to the Center, the number of hate groups was 457.
To date the House has been slow to confront growing hate in the United States, even during the 115th Congress, a period in which anti-Semitism and other forms of hate have soared. It should not take Saturday’s tragedy in Pittsburgh – or, for that matter, the foiled attempt last week to send explosive devices to certain prominent Americans; the murders of two African Americans in Kentucky last week, following the assailant’s failed attempt to enter a predominantly black church; and other recent incidents – to galvanize House Republicans and House Democrats to come together and confront head-on the unmistakable and growing specter of hate, in all its forms and manifestations, in our country. Indeed, the House Judiciary Committee should have acceded to Rep. Nadler’s request in August 2017 and initiated hearings into the systemic problem of hate in the aftermath of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Instead, Chairman Goodlatte chose to do nothing. I implore you to use your authority to urge, at a minimum, that the House Judiciary Committee hold hearings on the manifestations and causes of domestic terrorism that threaten every community – on the earliest possible date.
The scourge of which I write is important and troubling enough to justify pushing House Judiciary Committee Members to focus on it, even over the possible objections of Chairman Goodlatte. All that is required is for the House finally to concede that it can no longer look the other way or pass off as “isolated” – or dismiss as the exaggerated reporting of news outlets and civil rights groups – anti-Semitic acts and other acts of hate that are clearly on the rise and growing more violent.
Ultimately, what the House chooses to do with its time is a reflection of its values and priorities. If the institution you have led for the last three years cannot summon the will to confront the promoters of hate in this country and their followers, these malign elements will win, at least in the short-term. At this time of escalating racism, anti-Semitism, and hate, it is essential that the House meet its responsibilities not only to expose this crisis but fashion effective responses to it without delay.
Sincerely,
STENY H. HOYER
DEMOCRATIC WHIP
In the letter, Hoyer notes: “After the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh this past Saturday, the House of Representatives can no longer deny what statistics have amply and unmistakably demonstrated over the course of the last several months: domestic terrorism and hate directed at minority religious and ethnic groups is on the rise in the United States, particularly anti-Semitism.”
The letter concludes: “Ultimately, what the House chooses to do with its time is a reflection of its values and priorities. If the institution you have led for the last three years cannot summon the will to confront the promoters of hate in this country and their followers, these malign elements will win, at least in the short-term. At this time of escalating racism, anti-Semitism, and hate, it is essential that the House meet its responsibilities not only to expose this crisis but fashion effective responses to it without delay.”
Click here to view the letter or see below.
October 31, 2018
The Honorable Paul Ryan
Speaker
House of Representatives
H-232, The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Speaker Ryan:
I write to express my strong and unequivocal support for House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler’s call for the Committee to convene hearings on the rising scourge of hate crimes and domestic terrorism.
After the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh this past Saturday, the House of Representatives can no longer deny what statistics have amply and unmistakably demonstrated over the course of the last several months: domestic terrorism and hate directed at minority religious and ethnic groups is on the rise in the United States, particularly anti-Semitism. According to the Anti-Defamation League in its annual Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents, “the number of anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. rose 57 percent in 2017 – the largest single-year increase on record and the second highest number reported since ADL started tracking such data in 1979. The sharp rise was in part due to a significant increase in incidents in schools and on college campuses, which nearly doubled for the second year in a row.”
Just as troubling has been the sharp rise of hate groups across the United States over the past two decades. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, “the number of hate groups rose to 953 in 2017, from 917 in 2016. Within the white supremacist movement, neo-Nazi groups saw the greatest growth – soaring by 22 percent. Anti-Muslim groups rose for a third straight year.” To put this figure in perspective, in 1999, according to the Center, the number of hate groups was 457.
To date the House has been slow to confront growing hate in the United States, even during the 115th Congress, a period in which anti-Semitism and other forms of hate have soared. It should not take Saturday’s tragedy in Pittsburgh – or, for that matter, the foiled attempt last week to send explosive devices to certain prominent Americans; the murders of two African Americans in Kentucky last week, following the assailant’s failed attempt to enter a predominantly black church; and other recent incidents – to galvanize House Republicans and House Democrats to come together and confront head-on the unmistakable and growing specter of hate, in all its forms and manifestations, in our country. Indeed, the House Judiciary Committee should have acceded to Rep. Nadler’s request in August 2017 and initiated hearings into the systemic problem of hate in the aftermath of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Instead, Chairman Goodlatte chose to do nothing. I implore you to use your authority to urge, at a minimum, that the House Judiciary Committee hold hearings on the manifestations and causes of domestic terrorism that threaten every community – on the earliest possible date.
The scourge of which I write is important and troubling enough to justify pushing House Judiciary Committee Members to focus on it, even over the possible objections of Chairman Goodlatte. All that is required is for the House finally to concede that it can no longer look the other way or pass off as “isolated” – or dismiss as the exaggerated reporting of news outlets and civil rights groups – anti-Semitic acts and other acts of hate that are clearly on the rise and growing more violent.
Ultimately, what the House chooses to do with its time is a reflection of its values and priorities. If the institution you have led for the last three years cannot summon the will to confront the promoters of hate in this country and their followers, these malign elements will win, at least in the short-term. At this time of escalating racism, anti-Semitism, and hate, it is essential that the House meet its responsibilities not only to expose this crisis but fashion effective responses to it without delay.
Sincerely,
STENY H. HOYER
DEMOCRATIC WHIP