Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 396 to 23 in favor of a resolution that condemns college students’ support of terrorist groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and various others. Of course, this vote came with some controversy as Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres was quick to claim he mistakenly voted against the resolution and is now requesting a correction.
Torres was quick to take to X, writing, “”As a visible and vocal advocate against antisemitism on college campuses, especially in the wake of October 7th, I have submitted a correction for the record…I have no use for pro-Hamas protestors, and I despise them with every fiber of my being.”
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) was the only Republican to vote against the resolution, which calls on university administrators to condemn anti-Semitism on their campuses and ensure that Jewish faculty and students can exercise free speech without intimidation since the Oct. 7 attacks of protests and public statements from pro-Palestinian student groups at universities.
Massie explained his rationale behind his vote by stating that “Free speech means protecting speech you don’t like, not just speech you do like.”
He further argued that it is unclear who defines anti-Semitism. Despite Massie’s dissenting opinion, many Republicans still supported the bill overwhelmingly with 396 votes in its favor.
Democrat Rep. Ritchie Torres 'mistakenly' voted against resolution condemning Hamas supporters at universities https://t.co/WDWBlmmQtP
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 4, 2023
In addition to this controversial issue surrounding college campus activity regarding terrorist organizations such as Hamas, Reps Torres and Brad Schneider (D-IL) have also criticized House Speaker Mike Johnson’s $14.3 billion aid package for Israel because it pulls from funding allocated for the Internal Revenue Service through Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act passed last year.
Torres expressed disapproval of this practice by writing that “the cheap cynical game that Speaker Johnson is playing sets a dangerous precedent for conditioning emergency aid” and should be avoided if possible so as to send an “overwhelmingly bipartisan message of unconditional unity around Israel.”
