ADL Letter to House Rules Committee on Extremism in the Military

Dear Chairwoman Foxx and Ranking Member McGovern, 

Since 1913, the mission of ADL (Anti-Defamation League) has been to “stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” ADL is dedicated to combating antisemitism, extremism, and hate in all forms – from across the ideological spectrum. For decades, ADL has fought against antisemitism by monitoring and exposing extremist groups and movements that spread hate and commit acts of violence. 

Rising antisemitism, hate and extremism threaten the safety of all communities and institutions – and our military is no exception. Amid this growing threat, ADL has documented attempted recruitment from and the targeting of government institutions such as the military. This puts our military and civilians in danger. 

Instances of antisemitism within the military are not representative of most military personnel who are committed to upholding the values of their respective services and their oath to the Constitution. But even a small number of extremists in the ranks cause harm far from disproportionate to their number. 

Unchecked extremism and antisemitism within the military has repeatedly been shown to cause serious problems: physical harm to servicemembers and civilians, security breaches, and damage to morale, unit cohesion, personnel retention, recruiting efforts, and mission success. There have been numerous arrests in recent years of members of the military for crimes tied to a range of extremist ideologies, from Islamist extremism to white supremacy to anti-government militia groups. 

We are also concerned about recent reports of individuals in positions of influence publicly amplifying antisemitic conspiracy theories. When voices gain credibility within the defense establishment, it risks sending a dangerous message to Jewish servicemembers and America’s allies that antisemitism is tolerated at the highest levels of our defense establishment. Congress must ensure that the Department of Defense enforces zero tolerance for antisemitism and extremism within its ranks. We urge you to ensure that the Department of Defense is sufficiently protecting our military, its personnel, and our national security from the growing threat posed by antisemitism, extremism, and hate. We must support the Department in overcoming these challenges, instead of undermining programs and training that ensure the success of the military’s forces and operations.

To help protect our military and our country from antisemitism and violent extremism, we write to urge the House Committee on Rules to support and make in order the following amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026: 

Protect Against Antisemitism and Extremism

• #193, Sponsored by Rep. Goldman (D-NY): Establishes a mandatory antisemitism and extremism training program for all Department of Defense personnel. 

   

• #373, Sponsored by Reps. Gottheimer (D-NJ), Lawler (R-NY): Requires a report on the nature and disposition of the most recent six years of substantiated administrative investigations or instances of antisemitism within the Equal Opportunity Program. 

   

• #385, Sponsored by Reps. Gottheimer (D-NJ), Lawler (R-NY): Directs the Secretary of Defense to ensure that the Defense Organizational Climate Survey (DEOCS) includes specific questions to assess the prevalence, nature, and impact of antisemitism within the military service academies. 

• #902, Sponsored by Rep. Schneider (D-IL): Requires the Department of Defense to implement enhanced vetting and re-evaluation of current and prospective leadership, policy, and public-facing personnel to identify and exclude individuals affiliated with extremist or hate-based ideologies. 

• #51, Sponsored by Rep. Keating (D-MA): Requires the Secretary of State to release a public version of the strategy to address white identity terrorism as required by the FY21 NDAA. Then, on a yearly basis for 10 years, requires the Secretary of State to submit a report on the progress of implementing this strategy. 

• #1039, Sponsored by Reps. Vindman (D-VA): Directs the Department of Defense to develop a report on the threat posed by violent antisemitism as a component of transnational extremist movements. Text is identical to H.R. 5011, the Violent Antisemitism Threat Assessment Act.

   

Address Online Hate

• #197, Sponsored by Reps. Gottheimer (D-NJ), Bacon (R-NE): Inserts the text of the STOP HATE Act. Would implement the bipartisan STOP HATE Act which requires social media companies to be transparent about how they are handling content on FTOs, and an intelligence community estimate to better understand the threat terrorists on online platforms pose to U.S. national security. 

   

• #142, Sponsored by Rep. Stevens (D-MI): Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish a pilot program within 120 days to train members of the Armed Forces on safe and responsible interaction with digital information

   

Combat Global Hate

• #588, Sponsored by Reps. Lawler (R-NY), Gottheimer (D-NJ): Expands existing antiboycott law to simply add “or international governmental organization” into this language to dispel boycott efforts at IGOs. This will be particularly impactful in combating the harmful, antisemitic, and anti-Israel BDS efforts at IGOs. 

   

• #147, Sponsored by Reps. Gottheimer (D-NJ), Tenney (R-NY): Requires a report from Treasury that outlines any financial institution that has provided services that support a state sponsor of terrorism and any foreign financial institution that has conducted significant transactions for a person sanctioned by the U.S. for international terrorism or any human rights violation. 

• #391, Sponsored by Rep. Gottheimer (D-NJ): Directs the Treasury to deploy a financial attaché to the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem to develop and execute the financial and economic policy of the United States Government and the international fight against terrorism, money laundering, and other illicit finance. 

   

• #802, Sponsored by Rep. Sherman (D-CA): Would implement the bipartisan, bicameral Accountability for Terrorist Perpetrators of October 7th Act (H.R. 2346) which designates and sanctions the Popular Resistance Committees, which are the 3rd largest terrorist militia in Gaza and have claimed responsibility for the murder of Israeli and American civilians.  

   

• #643, Sponsored by Reps. Lawler (R-NY), Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL): Expands and strengthens secondary sanctions on foreign entities enabling Iran’s illicit oil trade.

   

We also urge you to oppose any amendments that undermine the military’s ability to ensure the civil rights, safety, and equitable treatment of servicemembers, and further compromise the effectiveness of the force.

Addressing extremism and antisemitism is not about a political or ideological litmus test, but practical threats to the operations and values of the U.S. military.

Sincerely,

Lauren Wolman

Senior Director of Government Relations and Strategy