Ro Khanna on Homeland Security

Right to be free from warrantless metadata collection

• Right to universal web access
• Right to net neutrality
• Right to be free from warrantless metadata collection
• Right to disclose amount, nature, and dates of secret government data requests
• Right to be fully informed of scope of data use
• Right to be informed when there is a change of control over data

Expand support for service members & their family members

While we expand support for service members and veterans, we cannot forget about their family members. We must prioritize expanding employment and career development opportunities for military families, help employers create military family-friendly workplaces, and encourage schools to become more responsive to students with one or more parent in the military.

Control the ballooning of the Defense budget

A: Yes. The Defense Department is the only department of the US government to receive more money then it requests; controlling the ballooning of the Defense budget can go a long way in balancing our overall budget.

Combat international and domestic Islamophobia.

H.R.5665: Combating International Islamophobia Act: This bill establishes within the Department of State the Office to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia and addresses related issues. The bill requires annual reports to Congress about human rights and religious freedom in foreign countries to include information about Islamophobia, such as:

1. acts of physical violence or harassment of Muslim people,
2. instances of propaganda in government and nongovernment media that attempt to justify or promote hatred or incite violence against Muslim people, and
3. actions taken by a country's government to respond to such acts. The office shall coordinate and assist in preparing these portions of the reports.

Rationale to vote NO (Rep. Zeldin, R-NY, 12/14/21)::: Lee Zeldin, one of two Jewish Republicans in Congress, announced that he will vote against H.R. 5665, a partisan resolution: "Rep. Ilhan Omar's bill that is supposed to combat Islamophobia does not even define 'Islamophobia'. In fact, the way the bill is worded intentionally plays into Omar's calculating game that any criticism about any topic relating to her, even if it has absolutely nothing at all to do with her religion, could be defined as 'Islamophobia'. That is absurd and I will vote 'no'!"

Rationale to vote YES (NY1.com, 12/15/21)::: "Our country's commitment to defending freedom of religion and belief goes back centuries, and the Administration strongly believes that people of all faiths and backgrounds should be treated with equal dignity and respect around the world," a statement of support issued by the White House read. The bill comes after Republicans in Congress have targeted the three Muslim members of Congress as members of a "jihad squad."

Legislative Outcome: Passed House 219-212-3 on 12/14/2021, Roll no. 448)' introduced in Senate on 12/15/21 and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations; no further Senate action during 2021.