House Passes Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities and Prevention Act
The House of Representatives passed the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities and Prevention Act with overwhelming bi-partisan support this week.
The House passed the legislation with a 406-5 vote. Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) and Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) co-sponsored the bill. The American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization that works for peace and justice, called the legislation “a major step forward for the peaceful prevention of deadly conflict.” AFSC also said that the bill represented a high point in a world defined by conflict and violence.
The bill makes it the official policy of the U.S. government to combat genocide. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee recently passed a similar bill, but the full Senate has yet to vote on it.
The Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities and Prevention Act is named after Holocaust survivor and memoirist Elie Wiesel who passed away in 2016. Wiesel advised Presidents of both parties on matters of genocide and Holocaust commemoration.
The bill ensures the U.S. government is equipped with the most constructive and cost-effective tools to address the root causes of violent conflict. It ensures the coordination among U.S. government departments to prevent global atrocities from occurring and mandates training for Foreign Service Officers to identify early warning signs of genocide. There will be a Mass Atrocities Task Force within the State Department to adequately monitor, analyze, and address atrocities worldwide by coordinating multiple agencies across the U.S. government.
In addition, the bill recommends that the Director of National Intelligence include atrocity crime information in the annual report to Congress on U.S. national security threats and authorizes training for U.S. Foreign Service Officers in recognizing and reporting on early signs of atrocities and transitional justice measures. The legislation also authorizes the Complex Crises Fund, which supports U.S. prevention of or response to atrocities. It also requires the President update Congress on measures to lessen violence in specific countries.
