{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://franklin.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=319", "Franklin Opposes Partisan, Political Attacks Disguised as Combating Bigotry", "2021-12-15", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "House", "FL", "Scott Franklin", "F000472", "franklin.house.gov", "franklin", "https://franklin.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Rep. Franklin today voted against a partisan bill brought forth by the House majority to attack political opponents under the guise of combating Islamophobia. The bill H.R. 5665, would among other things, establish a Special Envoy to Counter Islamophobia at the Department of State and singles out a former president for his actions to ensure the safety and security of the United States. Many may not be aware that the State Department already has at least three officers specifically tasked with combating Islamophobia. They include the Special Representative for Muslim Communities, Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, and the Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Rights, and Labor. Furthermore, Democrat leadership on the House Rules Committee rejected Republican amendments to the bill, including Franklin\u2019s amendment which would remove a partisan attack on former President Donald Trump.\n\n\"Today, I voted against H.R. 5665. I condemn all forms of religious bigotry, but find it disappointing (though not surprising) that my Democrat colleagues are using a serious issue as a tool to engage in a partisan attack against former President Trump,\" said Rep. Franklin. \"Their refusal to even discuss Republican amendments makes it clear that my Democrat colleagues are not serious about condemning religious bigotry across the globe.\"\n\nBACKGROUND\n\nSection 4 of H.R. 5665 includes a phrase which prevents funds made available by the act to be used \u201cto promote or endorse a Muslim ban, such as the one instituted by former President Trump.\u201d Traditionally, Congress has avoided specifically targeting politicians in the laws it drafts. The inclusion of former President Trump in the Act breaks this precedent. Rep. Franklin\u2019s amendment would have struck this language from the bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://franklin.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=319"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4599061105400324, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}