JCPA Welcomes Bipartisan Rosen-Lankford Legislation to Fight Antisemitism

NEW YORK, Tuesday, May 19, 2026 — Today, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs welcomed new bipartisan legislation to advance Jewish security and strengthen proven tools to counter antisemitism and hate, long-time JCPA priorities.

The Jewish American Security Act — introduced by Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and James Lankford (R-OK) — will help to keep the Office of Civil Rights within the Department of Education, improve its capacity to protect Jewish and all students, increase funding for and remove political conditions on the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), seek to better address extremism and hate on social media, and more.

In endorsing the bill, JCPA CEO Amy Spitalnick issued the following statement:

“At a moment of rising, increasingly violent antisemitism, it’s vital that we invest in whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches that will keep Jewish and all communities safe. The Jewish American Security Act takes important steps forward, like strengthening the Education Department, supporting equal and unbiased Title VI enforcement, helping protect Nonprofit Security Grants from political interference, countering online extremism and hate, and recognizing the inextricable link between Jewish safety and our democracy. 

“We believe our safety lies in strengthening these tools, born from the civil rights movement, that protect all of us, like the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. At the same time, we want to be clear: the Administration’s exploitation of legitimate antisemitism concerns and weaponization of the federal government to attack other communities and our democracy makes Jews – and all of us – less safe. The rule of law, freedom of inquiry, access to vibrant places of higher education, and strong democratic norms and institutions are what protect us all, and none of us is safe when they are undermined.  

“Make no mistake: there is no truly inclusive, pluralistic democracy unless antisemitism is addressed and Jews are safe. So too does Jewish safety require protecting the democratic norms and values that have long protected us — and we will continue to reject the false choice we’re too often offered between countering antisemitism and protecting our democracy and our rights.”