Every two years, the incoming Congress is sworn in with fresh optimism and ambitious plans. While those are often washed away in the reality of DC politics, there is reason to be optimistic in 2025.
As we usher in the 119th Congress, Republicans control all three levers of policymaking government (the House, the Senate, and the White House) and have an opportunity to make good on their promises to combat antisemitism, support Israel, and expand school choice.
The first order of business should be the “old” business Congress failed to finish last year. Specifically, Congress and the Trump administration need to be more aggressive in addressing antisemitism in the US. While the House held multiple hearings on rising antisemitism in 2024, the Democrat-controlled Senate was nowhere to be seen or heard.
The House also passed several bills to address antisemitism in concrete ways, but they never came to a vote in the Senate.
These include the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which would define antisemitism to enforce Title VI of the Civil Rights Act; the Deterrent Act, which forces universities to disclose foreign gifts; and a bill by Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN) to revoke the tax-exempt status of US nonprofits that support designated terrorist groups.
None of these bills are controversial, and all passed the House with a broad swath of bipartisan support. But with new congressional leadership and majorities in place and antisemitism unrelenting, Republican lawmakers and Democratic allies should put these bills together into an “omnibus” legislative package combating antisemitism.
On the executive branch side, the Trump administration has an opportunity to enforce federal law and make an example out of universities that refuse to protect Jewish students on campus.
While the Biden administration dragged its feet and issued some slaps on the wrist, US President-elect Donald Trump has declared: “Colleges will and must end the antisemitic propaganda, or they will lose their accreditation and federal support.” President Trump should waste no time in making good on his promise.
Another way to combat antisemitism is to increase funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant program, through which the Department of Homeland Security gives nonprofit institutions federal grants to beef up security. This has been and remains an essential program, and the Trump administration should press for funding of at least $500 million per year.
What needs to be done
At the same time, the Department of Justice needs to get more active under the new administration. The unfortunate reality is that local police forces cannot meet the demands of the current antisemitism explosion.
Jewish communities are forced to fund what amounts to an “antisemitism tax” for private security and off-duty officers just to keep schools and synagogues open. The Department of Justice should fund separate grants to help local police do their jobs.
BUT EVEN more important, Attorney-General-designate Pam Bondi must bring federal prosecutions that Attorney-General Merrick Garland never brought. Existing federal laws criminalize interference with citizens exercising their constitutional rights, so let’s prosecute the pro-Palestinian “demonstrators” who obstruct entry to synagogues and other radicals.
On Israel, Jews can take comfort in knowing that President Trump, Majority Leader John Thune, and Speaker Mike Johnson are all staunchly pro-Israel. But these leaders need to stand up to the fringe voices of both parties, who carry outsized influence.
The Trump administration should immediately reverse President Joe Biden’s sanctions policy against Israeli citizens and nonprofits in Judea and Samaria.
The new administration should also aggressively enforce the Taylor Force Act – a 2018 law signed by Trump to halt US aid to the Palestinian Authority until it stops rewarding terrorists and families of deceased terrorists.
The administration and Congress must also confront Iran’s growing nuclear capabilities and continued financing of terrorist proxies throughout the Middle East. Stop waiving sanctions on Iran. Stop criticizing Israel for doing the world’s dirty work. And work with Israel – instead of against it – to neutralize the global Iranian threat.
Finally, there is the new business. Trump’s call for abolishing the US Department of Education is an unlikely pipedream, but that doesn’t mean revolutionary reform isn’t possible.
He can start by “voucherizing” federal funds for low-income and special-needs students, as Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) has proposed in the CHOICE Act. This would create choice and opportunity for America’s most vulnerable students.
There’s no need to stop there. With Trump’s 2017 tax reform expiring at the end of 2025, Congress has an opportunity to provide every family and every child with educational freedom. The Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) is a leading proposal that gives individuals and corporations a tax credit for charitable contributions to K-12 scholarship programs.
But if Congress and Trump really want to reform our education system and empower parents, it can make a portion of K-12 tuition tax deductible for all parents. That would empower every child – regardless of race, income, and geography – to attend the school that best meets their individual needs.
This is an ambitious agenda, but the American people made it clear this past November that they are tired of do-nothing Washington. Now is the time to put American families first and America’s enemies last.
The writer is the executive director of the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center (OUA).