AMMWEC presses Congress on antisemitism bills after Capitol Hill advocacy day

AMMWEC led more than 50 interfaith leaders in 27 meetings on Capitol Hill to push bipartisan support for antisemitism and religious-freedom legislation. The effort centered on two bills that target foreign funding transparency and organizations linked to Hamas.

Why it matters: - AMMWEC framed the Capitol Hill effort as part of a broader push to confront antisemitism, extremism and threats to religious freedom through legislation. - The advocacy focused on measures with potential consequences for foreign funding disclosures at U.S. colleges and universities and for groups alleged to support Hamas networks in the United States. - The meetings brought together Muslims, Jews, Christians and other faith leaders, signaling a cross-faith coalition aimed at keeping the issue bipartisan.

What happened: - AMMWEC led a delegation of more than 50 interfaith leaders during an advocacy day on Capitol Hill in Washington. - The group held 27 congressional meetings with Republican and Democratic offices in both the House and Senate. - Delegates met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sens. Ted Cruz, Jim Justice, Adam Schiff, Jacky Rosen, Gary Peters, Tammy Duckworth and Chris Van Hollen. - The delegation also met with Reps. Greg Landsman, Dave Min, Don Davis, Brad Schneider, Judy Chu and Grace Meng, along with other members of Congress and senior staff. - The Capitol Hill visit closed AMMWEC’s Second Annual National Coalition Against Antisemitism and Hate Conference.

The details: - Delegates urged lawmakers to back the Deterrent Act. - The Deterrent Act would increase transparency and accountability around foreign funding of American colleges and universities. - Delegates also pushed H.R. 8236, the Designating Hamas Affiliates in America Act of 2026, introduced by Rep. Chip Roy. - The bill seeks to identify and designate organizations operating in the United States that provide material support or coordination with Hamas and affiliated networks. - AMMWEC said the conference brought together more than 50 partner organizations and hundreds of faith leaders, policymakers, educators, students and civil society representatives. - Dr. Anila Ali, AMMWEC founder and president, said the coalition believes combating antisemitism requires both education and action. - Ali said bringing different faith groups together to meet elected leaders shows that fighting terrorism and hate is an American responsibility, not a partisan issue.

Between the lines: - The advocacy day appears designed to show lawmakers that support for antisemitism legislation can come from a broad coalition rather than one political or religious bloc. - The inclusion of foreign-funding transparency and Hamas-related legislation suggests AMMWEC is linking campus influence, extremist financing and antisemitism under one policy agenda. - The bipartisan list of meetings indicates the group is trying to build support across both chambers before the bills advance further.

What's next: - AMMWEC is likely to continue lobbying Congress on the two bills and related measures tied to antisemitism and religious freedom. - The coalition is expected to use its conference network and interfaith partnerships to keep pressure on lawmakers after the advocacy day. - The legislative fate of the Deterrent Act and H.R. 8236 will depend on whether lawmakers move the bills forward from this round of outreach.