Buchanan supports bill directing funds to Holocaust education programs

The president is poised to sign into law bipartisan legislation supported by U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) that would dedicate federal funding for Holocaust education programs.

“Anti-semitism has no place in our country, especially in our schools,” Rep. Buchanan said. “We need to do all we can to combat this evil ideology.”

The Never Again Education Act, H.R. 943, cosponsored by Rep. Buchanan with bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and more than 300 other cosponsors, would authorize the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to administer $2 million in funding for fiscal year 2021 and each of the four succeeding fiscal years, according to the text of the bill.

If enacted, H.R. 943 would direct that the funds be used to create regional workshops to assist high school and middle school teachers in incorporating Holocaust education into their curricula, according to the text.

“This funding and training would help educators teach young Americans of the Holocaust’s atrocities,” Rep. Buchanan said. “The increase of anti-semitism that we have seen in Florida and across the country is unacceptable. We must deny the purveyors of anti-semitism the opportunity to spread this hate among our students.”

H.R. 943 is supported by several groups, including the Anti-Defamation League, the American Zionist Movement, the Jewish Federations of North America, the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect, World Jewish Congress North America and the Center for Jewish History.

The U.S. Senate on May 13 gave H.R. 943 voice vote approval after the U.S. House of Representatives in January passed the measure with a 393-5 vote. The president received the bill on May 19 for his signature.