On September 20, David and Rena Schlussel welcomed Sen. Chuck Schumer into their home for a NORPAC event. Sen. Schumer, the senior U.S. Senator of New York, has served as an elected official for over 40 years and is on track to assume responsibility as the Democratic leader of the Senate. Sen. Schumer has been a consistent defendant of both Israel and Jews worldwide, voting in favor of aid to Israel, sanctions on Iran, and even playing a role in the movement to free Soviet Jews. Recently, Sen. Schumer was the first Democratic senator to publicly declare opposition to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran.

At the NORPAC event, Sen. Schumer explained his opposition to the JCPOA. Firstly, he expressed his deep concern that the $56 billion that Iran will be receiving through this agreement will be used to fund terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas. Secondly, Sen. Schumer is worried that the JCPOA legitimizes Iran’s nuclear program by allowing Iran to approach the threshold of being a nuclear power by the end of 10 years. For these reasons, Sen. Schumer concluded that no deal was better than the current deal.

When asked what effective measures can be taken now to ensure Israel’s security, Sen. Schumer gave several answers. Firstly, he stated that we must do more for Israel, including providing the country with the money and weapons it needs to defend itself. In order to accomplish this, support of Israel must remain a bipartisan effort. In addition, Sen. Schumer assured the attendees that Congress is now working on multiple pieces of legislation to both clarify the JCPOA and construct more non-nuclear sanctions against Iran.

Sen. Schumer is running for reelection in 2016.