Dear ,

The CUFI Action Fund had a strong finish to 2019, and we've hit the
ground running in the New Year.

In 2020 we're changing up the way we communicate with our cadre of
core activists and policy community professionals. Starting today, the
Action Fund will be delivering to your inbox our weekly

**Action Update** covering key issues, legislation and policies
important to our mission.

This week, we'll be discussing the state of our 2019 legislative
priorities, and providing a snapshot of our 2020 agenda. In the coming
weeks, we'll delve deeper on these issues and more, as we seek to
ensure that CUFI's 8 million members have their voices heard in
Washington each day.

In 2019, we saw significant movement on our top three policy priorities:
combating anti-Semitism, confronting Turkey's malevolence, and curbing
Hezbollah's influence in the US-backed Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).

**1. Combatting Anti-Semitism:** The Action Fund's top 2019 priority
was advancing the

**Anti-Semitism Awareness Act.** This bill would have directed the
Department of Education to use the State Department's definition of
anti-Semitism when investigating allegations of unlawful harassment
against Jewish students on American campuses, but Congressional
paralysis impeded the legislation's progress. As a result, the CUFI
Action Fund and our allies sought to find other avenues for advancing
this policy. These efforts culminated with President Trump signing an
executive order mirroring and expanding upon this important legislation.

2.

**Confronting Turkey's Malevolence:** For well over a year, the CUFI
Action Fund has been focused on Turkey's support for terror and
destructive influence in the Middle East. That is why we supported the

**Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act**. This
legislation creates a U.S.-Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center to
facilitate energy cooperation between the U.S., Israel, Greece, and
Cyprus, and improves defense cooperation with the regional states. With
passage of the 2019

**National Defense Authorization Act** (NDAA) and the

**Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020**, this bill became
law.

3.

**Curbing Hezbollah's Influence:**The CUFI Action Fund continues to
support the

**Countering Hezbollah in Lebanon's Military Act**. This legislation
withholds 20% of U.S. military assistance to the LAF unless the
President can certify that the Lebanese military is taking the necessary
steps to end Hezbollah's and Iran's influence over the Lebanese
military. While this bill did not pass in 2019, progress was made on
this issue as the NDAA includes a provision requiring the Defense
Department to report to Congress on the LAF's progress in diminishing
Hezbollah's influence.

4.

**Confronting Turkey's Malevolence:** For well over a year, the CUFI
Action Fund has been focused on Turkey's support for terror and
destructive influence in the Middle East. That is why we supported the

**Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act**. This
legislation creates a U.S.-Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center to
facilitate energy cooperation between the U.S., Israel, Greece, and
Cyprus, and improves defense cooperation with the regional states. With
passage of the 2019

**National Defense Authorization Act** (NDAA) and the

**Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020**, this bill became
law.

5.

**Curbing Hezbollah's Influence:**The CUFI Action Fund continues to
support the

**Countering Hezbollah in Lebanon's Military Act**. This legislation
withholds 20% of U.S. military assistance to the LAF unless the
President can certify that the Lebanese military is taking the necessary
steps to end Hezbollah's and Iran's influence over the Lebanese
military. While this bill did not pass in 2019, progress was made on
this issue as the NDAA includes a provision requiring the Defense
Department to report to Congress on the LAF's progress in diminishing
Hezbollah's influence.

Moving forward, in addition to the legislation conditioning aid to the
LAF, the CUFI Action Fund is focused on advancing these three pieces of
legislation:

**1. United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act**, which
authorizes $3.3 billion in security aid to Israel to ensure that the
Jewish state maintains its qualitative military edge in the region,

**2. Never Again Education Act,** which authorizes the Department of
Education's Holocaust Education Assistance Program,

**3. Promoting American National Security and Preventing the Resurgence
of ISIS Act**, which would sanction senior Turkish officials, create
restrictions on arm sales aimed at countering Turkey's belligerent
actions in Syria, and sanction Turkey for its significant investment
into Russian weapon systems.

In addition, we remain focused on supporting President Trump's maximum
pressure campaign against Iran, and we support Minority Leader Chuck
Schumer's call to quadruple the funds provided by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency administered Nonprofit Security Grant
Program. And, as we have for the last two years, we will continue to
pursue anti-BDS legislation on a federal, in addition to state-by-state,
level.

We'll be discussing each of these policies in greater detail in the
weeks and months ahead. In the meantime, thank you for your support of
Israel and the CUFI Action Fund.

Sincerely,

CUFI Action Fund Team

SUPPORT CUFI ACTION FUND
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