Public Policy & NGOs
Here's a look at documents from public policy and non-governmental organizations
Featured Stories
NRDC: Trump Administration Sides With Oil Industry Over Drivers
NEW YORK, March 13 -- The Natural Resources Defense Council posted the following news release:
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NRDC: Trump Administration Sides With Oil Industry Over Drivers
As oil prices spike, Department of Justice goes to court to block California's vehicle emissions standards.
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The Trump administration's Department of Justice filed a lawsuit today to try blocking California's vehicles emissions standards, including its zero-emissions vehicle program. Federal law authorizes other states to adopt California's standards, making cleaner, more affordable options broadly available.
The filing comes
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, March 13 -- The Natural Resources Defense Council posted the following news release:
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NRDC: Trump Administration Sides With Oil Industry Over Drivers
As oil prices spike, Department of Justice goes to court to block California's vehicle emissions standards.
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The Trump administration's Department of Justice filed a lawsuit today to try blocking California's vehicles emissions standards, including its zero-emissions vehicle program. Federal law authorizes other states to adopt California's standards, making cleaner, more affordable options broadly available.
The filing comesas oil prices skyrocket, a vivid reminder to drivers that cleaner vehicles can also save them money at the pump.
The following is comment from Atid Kimelman, an attorney in the clean vehicles program at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):
"With prices at the pump spiking, the Trump administration is launching yet another attack on drivers' access to cleaner vehicles. Courts rejected these same legal arguments nearly two decades ago. They should be quickly dismissed now.
"But, more importantly, this attack on California's programs to provide cheaper, less polluting vehicles is yet another example of this administration's efforts to enrich the oil industry at the expense of everyday drivers."
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NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd).
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Original text here: https://www.nrdc.org/press-releases/nrdc-trump-administration-sides-oil-industry-over-drivers
[Category: Environment]
Independent Women's Voice Statement on The 21st Century Road to Housing Act
WASHINGTON, March 13 -- The Independent Women's Voice, an organization that fights for policy solutions for women, posted the following news release on March 12, 2026:
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Independent Women's Voice Statement on The 21st Century Road to Housing Act
"We applaud this Congress for passing deregulation in the housing industry that will expand housing supply in the long-run and bring down costs."
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Independent Women's Voice today issued the following statement supporting today's U.S. Senate passage of the 21st Century Road to Housing Act (HR 6644) as a major milestone in the effort to expand housing
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WASHINGTON, March 13 -- The Independent Women's Voice, an organization that fights for policy solutions for women, posted the following news release on March 12, 2026:
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Independent Women's Voice Statement on The 21st Century Road to Housing Act
"We applaud this Congress for passing deregulation in the housing industry that will expand housing supply in the long-run and bring down costs."
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Independent Women's Voice today issued the following statement supporting today's U.S. Senate passage of the 21st Century Road to Housing Act (HR 6644) as a major milestone in the effort to expand housingsupply and lower costs:
Patrice Onwuka, vice president for economic policy at Independent Women, said:
"We applaud this Congress for passing deregulation in the housing industry that will expand housing supply in the long-run and bring down costs. Housing affordability is a key issue in America right now and a top issue for women. Tens of millions of renters and homeowners are home burdened by high costs that erode their quality of life. Meanwhile, younger generations are locked out of the dream of homeownership and the wealth it builds.
"The 21st Century Road to Housing Act proposes reforms to increase housing supply, affordability, and access. For example, it could spur the expansion of multigenerational housing types such as accessory dwelling units (ADUs). These units create financial security for older homeowners while bringing down rental prices in local markets."
See more below from the Independent Women on housing policy:
* Independent Women's Voice Signs Coalition Letter Promoting Transparency in Local Zoning and Development Policies to Alleviate Housing Shortage (https://www.iwvoice.com/2025/12/coalition-letter-alleviate-housing-shortage/)
* IWV Signs Coalition Letter Opposing Housing Price Controls (https://www.iwvoice.com/2024/09/iwv-signs-coalition-letter-opposing-housing-price-controls/)
* Hope for Housing Policy: Let Women Age in Place (https://www.iwvoice.com/2024/03/hope-for-housing-policy-let-women-age-in-place/)
* Housing Affordability Under Fire as Patrice Onwuka Testifies Before Congress (https://www.independentwomen.com/2026/01/22/housing-affordability-under-fire-as-patrice-onwuka-testifies-before-congress/)
* A Case for Housing As the Dream for Millennials (https://www.independentwomen.com/2026/01/24/a-case-for-housing-as-the-dream-for-millennials/)
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Original text here: https://www.iwvoice.com/2026/03/independent-womens-voice-statement-on-the-21st-century-road-to-housing-act/
[Category: Sociological]
FFRF Action Fund: 'Theocrat' Texas State Rep. Schatzline Takes Part in Oval Office Prayer Spectacle
MADISON, Wisconsin, March 13 -- FFRF Action Fund, an organization that says it develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, posted the following news on March 12, 2026:
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'Theocrat' Texas state Rep. Schatzline takes part in Oval Office prayer spectacle
The FFRF Action Fund is choosing Texas state Rep. Nate Schatzline as its Theocrat of the Week for his brazen embrace of Christian nationalism.
Schatzline, a Fort Worth Republican and former pastor, recently joined a group of religious
... Show Full Article
MADISON, Wisconsin, March 13 -- FFRF Action Fund, an organization that says it develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, posted the following news on March 12, 2026:
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'Theocrat' Texas state Rep. Schatzline takes part in Oval Office prayer spectacle
The FFRF Action Fund is choosing Texas state Rep. Nate Schatzline as its Theocrat of the Week for his brazen embrace of Christian nationalism.
Schatzline, a Fort Worth Republican and former pastor, recently joined a group of religiousleaders who laid hands on the president in the Oval Office and prayed over him -- a spectacle that underscored the growing influence of Christian nationalist ideology within political leadership. The display drew national attention and backlash, including pointed criticism from FFRF that sparked a widely viewed social media exchange between the state/church watchdog and Schatzline himself.
Schatzline has made clear throughout his career that he views government as an extension of his religious mission. He founded For Liberty & Justice, a political organization linked to Fort Worth megachurch Mercy Culture that seeks to mobilize churches to reshape government along Christian nationalist lines.
Through the group's "Campaign University," Schatzline has taught Christians that they have a duty to bring biblical values directly into government. In the course, he tells viewers: "There is no greater calling than being civically engaged and bringing the values that Scripture teaches us into every realm of the Earth." The program trains "spirit-led candidates" to run for public office and explicitly rejects the constitutional principle of church-state separation, promoting the view that the First Amendment protects religion from government, but not government from religion.
Schatzline's rhetoric has also extended to explicit religious claims about government authority. At a Ten Commandments unveiling in Tarrant County, Texas, he led a prayer declaring: "We don't just make room for you, God, we give you Tarrant County. ... Tarrant County is the Lord's."
Schatzline has announced that he will not seek reelection and instead will focus on mobilizing churches politically through the National Faith Advisory Board, a group founded by televangelist Paula White that advises President Trump on religious policy.
"It has never been more clear that the battle for our nation is not political, it is spiritual," Schatzline wrote in announcing his new role, where he pledges to help pastors "step up and speak out" in promoting policies that "put God first."
For the FFRF Action Fund, Schatzline's comments and actions exemplify the dangers of Christian nationalism and earn him the dubious distinction of Theocrat of the Week.
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FFRF Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization that develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church. It also advocates for the rights and views of nonbelievers, endorses candidates for political office, and publicizes the views of elected officials concerning religious liberty issues.
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Original text here: https://ffrfaction.org/theocrat-texas-state-rep-schatzline-takes-part-in-oval-office-prayer-spectacle/
[Category: Sociological]
Direct Relief: For Patients Behind on Rent, L.A. Health Center Provides a Lifeline
SANTA BARBARA, California, March 13 -- Direct Relief issued the following news:
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For Patients Behind on Rent, L.A. Health Center Provides a Lifeline
St. John's Community Health Center has been working to keep patients out of homelessness by connecting them with rental assistance. It's just one way the health center is meeting needs beyond clinic walls.
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Thinking about her housing situation almost brought Sonia to tears. It's the second time the 49-year-old, who asked that only her first name be used for privacy reasons, has been at risk of homelessness in Los Angeles. The first was when
... Show Full Article
SANTA BARBARA, California, March 13 -- Direct Relief issued the following news:
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For Patients Behind on Rent, L.A. Health Center Provides a Lifeline
St. John's Community Health Center has been working to keep patients out of homelessness by connecting them with rental assistance. It's just one way the health center is meeting needs beyond clinic walls.
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Thinking about her housing situation almost brought Sonia to tears. It's the second time the 49-year-old, who asked that only her first name be used for privacy reasons, has been at risk of homelessness in Los Angeles. The first was whenshe decided to leave an abusive relationship.
Three months behind on her rent, and with children far away, and no other family in the area, Sonia described her housing situation to staff at St. John's Community Health Center. Now, she's enrolled in a social service program that will help her catch up on rent payments and, within the month, keep her in her home.
Anxiety and unstable housing could negatively affect her health. Historically, community health centers have always worked to address social ills to improve health outcomes. For St. John's, this has shown up through their housing, food, and domestic violence programs, among other resources.
A predominantly Spanish speaker, Sonia told Direct Relief through translator Diana Nunez that she wanted to cry.
"I'm very anxious, and I'm going through a really rough time," she told Nunez, the program supervisor for The Mayor's Fund at St. John's. She trains staff to become case workers and exhibits a level of empathy that makes patients feel comfortable enough to share information.
"I feel good at the clinic," Sonia said through Nunez. "I can get my medications, and I feel supported because they listen to me when I'm speaking."
Throughout the conversation, Nunez told Sonia that she was there to help. Nunez's empathy comes from her own lived experience of financial struggle in the same community. Now, she instructs caseworkers to lead with compassion in hopes that their work will alleviate the anxiety and depression some of their patients face.
"We meet them where they're at and really talk to them," Nunez said. "I'm part of this community, and I want to be able to meet you where you are and show you that you can trust me and that we're here to resolve, or at least lead you to a resolution of what you're going through."
St. John's operates 28 health centers and mobile clinics across the Inland Empire and South Los Angeles, which Nunez said was a vulnerable community before the wildfires.
In recent years, the Los Angeles City Department of City Planning has reported the area as predominantly Black, with a continuously growing population of Latinx residents. Nunez said that a lot of their patients are low-wage earners, employed through domestic work, food service, and construction, among other trades.
The area has a high cost of living. When the wildfires broke out last winter, most of St. John's patients were unaffected from a housing standpoint. However, many lost their jobs and have struggled to afford housing. In other situations, household breadwinners have been detained, making it difficult for remaining family members to maintain their households.
Nunez said that since the wildfires, St. John's has made the referral service available online to make it easier for patients to request assistance.
"It's important for you to feel that your doctor's office is your safe place, especially St. John's. It's a familiar face," said Nunez. "Because depression and anxiety (can) come from this...and for people with chronic conditions like diabetes, it's (more difficult) when more life problems are in your back-pocket."
For Sonia, the health center staff helped her apply for rental assistance. They learned that her landlord is a participant in the L.A. Rent Relief Program and is less likely to pursue eviction if she pays back the owed rent.
For other patients, St. John's has helped with the eviction process through paperwork to ensure their patients have access to court determinations.
Sonia told Nunez that the health center helped her just by explaining the process. She's since told neighbors and friends that the health center is the place to go if they need help.
"I tell them don't be afraid to ask," she told Nunez.
Direct Relief has provided $1.6 million in medical support to St. John's Community Health Center to support patient care.
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Original text here: https://www.directrelief.org/2026/03/for-patients-behind-on-rent-l-a-health-center-provides-a-lifeline/
[Category: Health Care]
Chesapeake Bay Program: Libraries are Hotspots in an Effort to Cool Down Richmond
ANNAPOLIS, Maryland, March 13 -- The Chesapeake Bay Program issued the following news:
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Libraries are hotspots in an effort to cool down Richmond
Communities and waterways share the benefits of new trees and green space
By Will Parson
Anyone who has "leafed" through the pages of a book understands that there's a connection between trees and libraries. Indeed, "library" comes from the Latin word "liber" for the inner bark of a tree, from which books were made. Today trees are still helping sustain libraries--and not just by being chopped down.
The James River Association (JRA), like many
... Show Full Article
ANNAPOLIS, Maryland, March 13 -- The Chesapeake Bay Program issued the following news:
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Libraries are hotspots in an effort to cool down Richmond
Communities and waterways share the benefits of new trees and green space
By Will Parson
Anyone who has "leafed" through the pages of a book understands that there's a connection between trees and libraries. Indeed, "library" comes from the Latin word "liber" for the inner bark of a tree, from which books were made. Today trees are still helping sustain libraries--and not just by being chopped down.
The James River Association (JRA), like manywatershed organizations, plants trees for their ability to soak up stormwater pollution and protect waterways from agricultural runoff. In Richmond, the nonprofit plants trees as part of its green infrastructure efforts, a practice that uses nature-based methods to capture and filter runoff. Since 2019, JRA has partnered with the Richmond Public Library and RVAH20 to install green infrastructure on library campuses across Richmond, aligning watershed goals with communities' interests. In 2024, the nonprofit received a nearly $750,000-dollar grant from the Chesapeake Bay Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Grant Program, funded by the Environmental Protection Agency and administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, to continue the work at additional library branches.
"We approach these projects with the health of the James River in mind," said JRA's Director of Community Conservation, Justin Doyle,. "But we're also able to achieve other benefits through these projects, and increasing tree canopy has emerged as a top priority among residents and library users."
Public interest in trees stems largely from the shade they provide. During a heat wave in 2017, for example, a citywide temperature survey found a 16-degree difference between the coolest and warmest parts of Richmond. The Richmond Master Plan, adopted in 2020, calls for increasing urban tree canopy from 42% to 60% as part of a goal to "positively adapt to the effects of a changing climate" and to "ensure that all residents have equitable access to nature and a healthy community."
JRA's program, called Greening Richmond Public Libraries, recently completed installation of one such green infrastructure project at the Ginter Park Branch. Surrounded by neighborhoods, Ginter Park's one-acre campus is one of the larger in the Richmond Public Library system. The project began in early 2024, with a community engagement meeting at the library and an online questionnaire for community members. That fall, volunteers helped plant 20 trees and shrubs, including sweetbay magnolias, black gums and arrowwood viburnums. For the planting, JRA chose species that are native to the region and more capable of withstanding both wet and dry weather extremes.
"They're resilient in that way," Doyle said.
In early 2025, the project continued, with the construction of three new bioretention basins--otherwise known as rain gardens--as well as conservation landscaping around three sides of the building and an accessible walkway across the library campus. Late 2025 saw the addition of an outdoor reading area and a permeable paver system at one of the library's two entrances. Last month, the project wrapped up with the addition of new benches and a blue shade canopy in front of the library.
The library "has completely undergone a transformation," Doyle said. The campus now captures stormwater flowing off of the library building and parking lot, reducing nitrogen pollution by five pounds a year and phosphorus by a third of a pound.
Including the work at Ginter Park, the program has installed green infrastructure projects at six library branches since 2019. Doyle said the bioretention structures alone have reduced nitrogen by almost 15.97 pounds and phosphorus by 1.66 pounds annually. Additionally, the permeable pavement and planted trees have taken an additional bite out of stormwater pollution.
The project also included an irrigation system to keep the many young plants alive. JRA's focus has now turned to keeping the landscaping alive and doing its job.
"Maintenance has become a big focus of ours," Doyle said. "And helping the libraries to maintain the new practices that have been installed on the grounds has been a top priority of the team."
Branching out
JRA is finalizing plans for green infrastructure projects at two more library branches in 2026. And it is also ramping up its tree planting work in the residential areas surrounding Richmond libraries. Overall, JRA's priority has been watersheds identified in the city's RVA Clean Water Plan, such as the Cannon's Branch/Shockoe Creek watershed, which includes some of the library branches where the nonprofit has worked.
"I think we'll continue to consider organizing community tree planting events in the neighborhoods around those libraries just to help create that ripple effect that the library projects are intended to have in the communities around them," Doyle said.
For example, last year JRA partnered with a community-based organization, Church Hill Trees, to plant approximately 90 trees near the smaller campus of East End Branch, a region of the city where urban heat and stormwater management are high priorities. In a previous partnership, JRA helped establish a 0.4-mile green street in Richmond's Bellemeade community.
JRA's green infrastructure work complement similar efforts by Richmond organizations such as Southside Releaf. That nonprofit has developed five new parks and organized hundreds of volunteers while planting and maintaining thousands of trees in the Southside area of Richmond, south of the James River, including at several public school campuses and a community center.
The upside of all the new living greenery is that the benefits will accrue as the tree and plants mature.
"As the trees continue to grow, you know, there's additional stormwater runoff reductions," Doyle said. "And then you also get more evapotranspiration, you get more shade...hopefully a cooler environment in the long run."
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About the author
Will Parson
wparson@chesapeakebay.net
Will produces digital stories for the Chesapeake Bay Program. He studied ecology and evolution at University of California, San Diego. He reported on water and the environment as a graduate student at Ohio University's School of Visual Communication, and worked at newspapers in New England before landing in Maryland.
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Original text here: https://www.chesapeakebay.net/news/blog/libraries-are-hotspots-in-an-effort-to-cool-down-richmond
[Category: Environment]
Catholic League Issues Commentary: Rhode Island's Selective Interest In Sexual Abuse
NEW YORK, March 13 -- The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, an organization that defends the right of Catholics to participate in American public life without defamation or discrimination, issued the following commentary on March 12, 2026, by President Bill Donohue:
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RHODE ISLAND'S SELECTIVE INTEREST IN SEXUAL ABUSE
Rhode Island is the latest state to demonstrate its selective interest in combatting the sexual abuse of minors. It is only interested in probing the Catholic clergy, having zero interest in probing the clergy in every other religion. Furthermore, it has no interest
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, March 13 -- The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, an organization that defends the right of Catholics to participate in American public life without defamation or discrimination, issued the following commentary on March 12, 2026, by President Bill Donohue:
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RHODE ISLAND'S SELECTIVE INTEREST IN SEXUAL ABUSE
Rhode Island is the latest state to demonstrate its selective interest in combatting the sexual abuse of minors. It is only interested in probing the Catholic clergy, having zero interest in probing the clergy in every other religion. Furthermore, it has no interestin investigating the on-going crisis in the public schools.
Therapists, coaches, camp staff, doctors, psychiatrists, those who work with the disabled, and every profession where adults regularly interact with minors, are given a pass.
The biggest abusers of minors are, without doubt, live-in boyfriends. But don't expect Peter F. Neronha, Rhode Island's attorney general, to go after them. Why? There's no money in it. Also, the former Catholic likes going after the Catholic Church. As soon as he became AG, he set his eyes on the Church.
When blacks are subjected to disproportionate stops by the police, it is called racial profiling. What Rhode Island is doing to priests is religious profiling. Yet the media are silent about this egregious injustice. They wouldn't be silent if Neronha investigated sexual harassment on the job, selecting only reporters to probe.
Neronha's report covers cases of alleged abuse dating back to 1950, when Harry Truman was present and Elvis Presley was 15. It was determined that 75 accused members of the clergy (66 of whom were priests) were responsible for victimizing 300 minors.
Guess what else Neronha found? What every other investigation has found: 83 percent of the victims were male, and 74 percent of them were postpubescent. This means that homosexuals did most of the damage. Get it straight: When adult males have sex with postpubescent males, it's called homosexuality, not pedophilia. But don't expect Neronha or the media to report on this fact. The cover-up continues.
When did this happen? As always, it was during the sexual revolution, in the 1960s and 1970s. As I pointed out in my book, The Truth about Clergy Sexual Abuse: Clarifying the Facts and the Causes, libertinism as an idea was born in the 1960s and the acting out largely took place in the 1970s. That's what Rhode Island found as well.
The last time there was a known instance of the sexual abuse of minors by the Catholic clergy in Rhode Island was 15-years ago in 2011. When was the last time a minor was violated in their public schools? Last year, when a school bus monitor allegedly sexually abused three special needs students. One was in kindergarten.
Is Neronha going to tackle the public schools? He should.
Ten years ago, when USA Today rated every state in the union on the sexual abuse of minors, it gave Rhode Island a "D." When the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights investigated this issue during the 2017-2018 school year, it concluded that Rhode Island was one of the worst in the country; it ranked in the bottom ten. More recently, the Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, a statewide advocacy group, found that there were six allegations of sexual abuse in 2024.
The AG's report reads as though the sexual abuse scandal is ongoing in the Catholic Church and that Neronha's office did yeoman work in uncovering it. Wrong on both counts. We are talking about old cases where the bad guys are either dead or have been kicked out of ministry. Not one of the 75 members of the clergy mentioned in the report is in active ministry. Moreover, it was the Diocese of Providence did most of the data gathering, without which Neronha could not have issued his report.
One young person who is molested is too many. But when the Catholic Church has largely put this problem behind it, and when it is still extant in other quarters of society--especially in the public schools--it smacks of anti-Catholicism, pure and simple.
We are blanketing the Rhode Island media and lawmakers about this injustice. We are also contacting approximately 140 parishes in the state.
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Original text here: https://www.catholicleague.org/rhode-islands-selective-interest-in-sexual-abuse/
[Category: Sociological]
CAIR Welcomes Introduction of 'Justice for Hind Rajab Act,' Urges More Members of Congress to Sponsor
WASHINGTON, March 13 (TNSrpt) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on March 12, 2026:
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CAIR Welcomes Introduction of 'Justice for Hind Rajab Act,' Urges More Members of Congress to Sponsor
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the introduction of the Justice for Hind Rajab Act, legislation introduced in the Senate by Sens. Peter Welch and Chris Van Hollen and in the House of Representatives by Sara Jacobs, Joaquin Castro, and Pramila Jayapal.
The legislation
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, March 13 (TNSrpt) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on March 12, 2026:
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CAIR Welcomes Introduction of 'Justice for Hind Rajab Act,' Urges More Members of Congress to Sponsor
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the introduction of the Justice for Hind Rajab Act, legislation introduced in the Senate by Sens. Peter Welch and Chris Van Hollen and in the House of Representatives by Sara Jacobs, Joaquin Castro, and Pramila Jayapal.
The legislationcalls for accountability for the Israeli military execution of five-year-old Palestinian child Hind Rajab and members of her family. Evidence shows Israeli soldiers fired more than 330 bullets into the vehicle in which Hind and her relatives were trapped after Israeli tank and machine-gun fire targeted their car as they attempted to flee Gaza City.
As the wounded child used a cell phone to beg for someone to save her, paramedics from the Palestine Red Crescent Society who attempted to rescue her were also killed when their ambulance was struck in what was effectively an Israeli military ambush.
CAIR is urging all members of the House and Senate to co-sponsor and support the legislation and publicly call for a clear, credible, and transparent U.S. investigation into the killing of Hind Rajab, her family, and the medical personnel who attempted to rescue her.
In a statement, CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert S. McCaw said:
"We welcome the introduction of the Justice for Hind Rajab Act and urge every member of Congress to support a full and transparent investigation. Five-year-old Hind Rajab should still be alive today. The evidence unquestionably shows that she and her family were not caught in crossfire but were effectively executed by Israeli soldiers as they tried to flee, and that her murderers then lay in wait to finish off the paramedics sent to rescue her.
"The only reason this crime has gone without justice is because the United States government has repeatedly turned a blind eye to the genocidal liquidation of Palestinian civilians. Congress must support a transparent investigation and ensure that those responsible are finally held accountable.
"Our nation cannot claim to stand for human rights and the rule of law while ignoring credible allegations of war crimes involving civilians, children, and medical personnel. Accountability is essential not only for justice in this case, but also to deter future atrocities."
The killing of Hind Rajab drew international attention and became emblematic of Israel's genocidal war targeting civilians in Gaza, particularly children. Hind's story has been widely documented and was later the subject of the Oscar-nominated docudrama The Voice of Hind Rajab, which follows volunteers from the Palestine Red Crescent Society as they attempt to rescue the young girl and her family.
CAIR has for years called for independent U.S. investigations when American citizens are killed by Israeli forces or illegal settlers and supported related initiatives like Congressman Andre Carson's Justice for Shireen Act, which called for a U.S. investigation into the Israeli military murder of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
Earlier this year, CAIR also called on the Trump administration to launch an independent investigation into the killing of Philadelphia Palestinian-American teenager Nasrallah Abu Siyam, in the occupied West Bank. CAIR has noted that Israeli soldiers or settlers have killed at least 9 other American citizens in the past three years without any U.S. investigation or meaningful accountability.
CAIR has repeatedly urged U.S. officials to apply existing laws and investigative authorities when American citizens are killed in Israel and to ensure that those murdered receive justice.
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REPORT: https://www.welch.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Justice-for-Hind-Rajab-Act-One-Pager-Final.pdf
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Original text here: https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-welcomes-introduction-of-justice-for-hind-rajab-act-urges-more-members-of-congress-to-sponsor/
[Category: Sociological]
