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WASHINGTON With a small business innovation grant program favored by the Pentagon set to expire this month, Congress is racing to draft compromise reauthorization legislation that addresses concerns about companies abusing the awards process.

Democrats and Republicans on the Small Business committees in both the House and Senate convened a so-called four corners meeting this week to negotiate draft legislation, which is in its final stages.

Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., the ranking member on the House Small Business Committee, said Thursday that the committees hope to finish drafting legislation that reauthorizes the Small Business Administrations Innovation Research and Technology Transfer awards which are made jointly with 11 federal agencies by the end of the week.

Weve got a general agreement already with the four corners on this, but the devils always in the details, he told Defense News. We want to make sure that what comes out in text is what we agreed to in concept.

Were knocking out the text as we speak, so everyone can see it today or tomorrow, Luetkemeyer added. Hopefully next week we can our side of the bill firmed it up and get it through.

Both Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., who chair the Small Business Committee in their respective chambers, noted that negotiators have made a lot of progress on the compromise reauthorization.

Velazquez told Defense News that she feels optimistic and that she expects final legislation soon.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., the ranking member on the Senate Small Business Committee, downplayed the negotiations on Wednesday and told Defense News that they have not assuaged his concerns.

Paul has argued that the program lacks protections against ties between program awardees and China, and that some companies rely entirely on SBIR grants to sustain themselves without spinning off new businesses or products.

Dr. Paul will not reauthorize this program without reforms to strengthen research security and stop abusive behavior by bad actors lining their pockets with taxpayer dollars at the expense of new small businesses with emerging technologies being able to access SBIR awards, a spokesperson for the senator told Defense News in June.

Reauthorization of the program was originally included in an earlier version of the CHIPS and Science bill, but the provision was not included in the final version of the legislation that passed in July.

The total budget for the 40-year-old program ballooned to nearly $3.3 billion in 2019, with the Department of Defense accounting for the majority of the awards. Individual grants range from tens of thousands of dollars to more than a million for a two-year grant.

SBIR provides funding in three phases, with grant amounts typically increasing throughout each stage. For defense SBIR awards, companies are eligible to submit multiple project ideas, which some say leads to companies applying for multiple Phase I awards without ever maturing the proposed technology.

Were trying to find ways to incentivize and do the work yet provide the oversight to continue to do the work not just ripping off the program to continue to get these grants and at the end of the day theyre just making money, but theyre not actually producing products, said Luetkemeyer.

For some entities, for some different departments, there arent that many alternatives to go toto be able to produce or develop a particular product or service for the Defense Department he added. Weve got to be very careful that we dont preclude the ability of companies to be able to meet our defense needs by hamstringing this bill.

Kea Matory, director of legislative policy at the National Defense Industrial Association trade group, said in an interview that criticisms of awarding companies too many Phase I grants signal contrasting standards for small and large companies.

Lots of our bigs get multiple awards, she said. We would never tell one of our large primes oh, youve had too many, you need to sit down.

Matory added that delays in reauthorizing the program are already impacting small businesses.

A lot of them are already hearing that SBIR could go away, she said. Its like a game of telephone as it gets passed along to each person; it sounds more doomsday.

When it comes to innovation, small businesses frequently bring new ideas to the table that could help the Pentagon with its modernization goals, she said. Without SBIR, many of those companies would be disincentivized to want to do business in the government and defense sectors.

The Pentagon will not award new SBIR grants starting Oct. 1 if the legislators fail to reauthorize the program. Ongoing contracts may continue but will not receive further SBIR/STTR funding.

If the draft legislation wins over Paul, the House and Senate could reauthorize SBIR as stand-alone legislation by the end of the month.

And if that doesnt work, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed, D-R.I., told the Defense News conference that negotiations are also underway to include SBIR reauthorization in the continuing resolution that Congress needs to pass by the end of the month in order to fund the government and avoid a shutdown.

I would prefer that we get reauthorization as a stand-alone bill versus just a straight reauthorization where we stick it into a [continuing resolution], said Luetkemeyer. That really doesnt solve problems. It extends the same problems that we have now.

As a last resort, Congress could reauthorize the program in the Fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act although Congress is unlikely to finalize that legislation until after the SBIR/STTR grants expire.

The House NDAA, which passed 329-101 in July, has a provision that reauthorizes the program without any changes. The Senate must still pass its version of the bill before both chambers agree on final legislation a process that usually takes several weeks.

Bryant Harris is the Congress reporter for Defense News. He has covered U.S. foreign policy, national security, international affairs and politics in Washington since 2014. He has also written for Foreign Policy, Al-Monitor, Al Jazeera English and IPS News.

Catherine Buchaniec is a reporter at C4ISRNET, where she covers artificial intelligence, cyber warfare and uncrewed technologies.

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Congress races to reauthorize innovation grants favored by Pentagon - DefenseNews.com

Commentary

Lets imagine that one day, liberty, prosperity, security, and rationality were all shredded. Most of the country could not go to church, send their kids to school, get a drink at a bar, go to the gym, or even hold a dinner party. Hospitals intubated patients and 88 percent died. This persisted for months, even a year in some places, after which the government came along with a shot many were forced to get else lose a job, and this shot was not needed by most and had sketchy efficacy and safety data.

One might suppose that if such a thing should happen, the perpetrators of such an outrage would be found and justice would be meted out.

Of course all the above did in fact happen in this land of the free. But here is where it gets strange: no one seems responsible for it all. Another way to say this: no one is willing to take responsibility for what happened.

Anthony Fauci, more than anyone else, appears to be the main architect of American lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He was doing several media appearances a day for the better part of two years, adored by the media and parading around like a master of the universe. He claimed that attacks on him were nothing but attacks on science.

One might suppose that he, more than anyone, would bear responsibility for failure. According to him, the opposite is true. He never gave any orders to anyone, he says. Clearly, he has been planning his escape for years.

Once his emails started coming out thanks to FOIA requests, I noticed that he had a special talent for avoiding responsibility. He is a master bureaucrat. Even though he was running everything, he was always careful never to give direct orders in email or make strong judgements. His emails were carefully worded to avoid that. He would always answer in vague terms, never decisively and never with revealing text.

Even when he and his cohorts ordered a direct hit on the Great Barrington Declaration, he tried to keep his fingerprints off of it. It was Francis Collins of the NIH who called for a quick and devastating takedown of the document, whereas Fauci merely sent back links. He did not add any strong words of encouragement. And when confronted about this by Rand Paul, he pointed that out.

This is how a master bureaucrat works. They gain ever more power but they also get ever better at not leaving a paper trail, always setting others up for failure while the master bureaucrat himself avoids having the blame for failure pinned on him.

Such people are everywhere in the workforce, not just the government. You have probably experienced them before in your workplace. They are unusually maddening figures, typically lacking in much skill at all besides the skill of surviving and thriving in a bureaucratic thicket of their own making. Lacking actual skill, they surround themselves with people who can do their work, leaving them all the time in the world for plotting, scheming, and taking credit for all successes. They are equally flattered by everyone around them and secretly despised by these same people.

They have no loyalty to others but demand 100 percent loyalty to themselves. They are always ready to conspire against colleagues and hurl them out if there is a perception of any threat to themselves. They are constantly creating alibis to mask their own incompetence. People fear them so much that they can get away with this caper for years. Eventually of course such people wreck whole institutions.

Senator Rand Paul knows exactly what is going on with Fauci and works to expose him in whatever way he can, given the very limited time he has when Fauci testifies before the Senate. Yesterday, the subject concerned Faucis very obvious and completely untenable neglect of natural immunity in the case of COVID.

Rands point is very obviously beyond dispute. Its one of the biggest scandals of the whole pandemic era. NIH and the CDC in their studies and guidelines buried this point of science as deeply as possible. Why? Because doing so helped whip up disease panic, underscore the thinking behind masks and force human separation, and prepared the way for vaccine mandates. It got so bad that even the World Health Organization removed natural immunity from its website.

In the end, of course, it was natural immunityexposure then recoverythat got us out of the pandemic. No one really disputes that, especially given that the vaccine predictably protects against neither infection nor transmission. Even when Fauci was asked point blank about the subject during the pandemic, he would quickly demur and say that they are studying the problem.

That Fauci buried this known point of science is truly beyond dispute. Of course with Fauci, ever clever, he cannot be trapped. Rand began his brief interrogation by showing a video of Fauci from 2004 in which Fauci says that the best vaccine is infection and recovery. Fauci immediately picks up a sheet of paper from Reuters claiming that the video is taken out of context.

Then Rand moved on to discuss vaccine trials, guidelines, and mandates and how they too completely neglected natural immunity. Almost none of your studies, from the CDC or from the government, said Rand, include the variable of whether or not you have been previously infected. He demanded to know why Fauci has so completely neglected the topic.

Fauci says in response. You keep saying you approve, you do this, you do that. The committees that give approval are FDA, through their advisory committee. The committees that recommend are CDC through their advisory committee . They are not my committees . I dont have any idea what goes on.

Here is the full exchange.

Wow. Listening to Fauci on this occasion, you would think he bears no more responsibility for the pandemic response or bad vaccine science than the server who brought my veal parmesan to the table last night. He is completely innocent of all things! He even posed as a victim here, shoving all responsibility for everything to some vague committees.

This is another master bureaucrat trick: surround yourself with committees that you can always blame for all failure. An investigator can take the next step and talk to all committee members one by one. In the event of success, every member will be glad to take all credit. In the event of a true failure, every single member will claim to have been skeptical all along but got overruled by other idiots on the committee. This is absolutely inevitable, and precisely why these committees exist in the first place: so that no one in particular is ever made responsible.

This strange pattern not only exists at the federal level. It exists in every state, every county, and every city. For that matter, it exists in every country. There is right now a vast and international scramble to avoid all responsibility. We end up with the spooky reality that the world was utterly wrecked by human hands and yet no one can figure out who or what is at fault. We think we know but pinning the disaster on anyone in power is like nailing jello to the wall.

And the problem is across the board. I touch a nerve by writing on the murderous use of ventilators early in the pandemic. Thousands died unnecessarily. But try to find the responsible party and you come up dry. Readers said that I was unfair to Jared Kushner and that might be correct, since he was just following the prescribed treatment at the time. But who prescribed this ghastly method of addressing a respiratory infection? No one seems to know.

Here is the essence of the problem of systemic human evil through history. We know what happened and we know how horrible it all was. But we are too often at a loss to assign agency in the actions themselves. For the bureaucrat, success means avoiding all responsibility. Anthony Fauci is the paradigmatic case of a person who has mastered the craft. His most perfected science is the science of survival.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

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Fauci, the Master Bureaucrat, Says Its Not His Fault - The Epoch Times

Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network (NAN), today continued to call on Phoenix Suns owner, Robert Sarver, to be removed from the NBA after a damning report demonstrated patterns of racism, misogyny, and abuse.

Sarver was issued a one-year sentence and fined $10 million for his actions.

I have a deep respect for Commissioner [Adam] Silver, [attorney, sports executive, and current commissioner of the NBA] as we have worked together to raise the bar of what it means to own an NBA team. Unfortunately, trying to explain away the light punishment on Robert Sarver greatly misses the mark. Nobody can evolve from being a bigot.

This one-year suspension is a band-aid on a tumor. To say it is in remission while it grows will only make the entire league sicker.

We must remove this cancer swiftly and precisely, while sending a message that hate has no place in American sports. Its time for the players, the fans, and the corporate sponsors to rise up and demand that Robert Sarver be immediately removed from the NBA.

National Action Network is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation with chapters throughout the entire United States. Founded in 1991 by Reverend Al Sharpton, NAN works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency, and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, nationality, or gender.

For more information go towww.nationalactionnetwork.net.

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Rev. Al Sharpton Calls for Immediate Removal of Robert Sarver as Owner of the Phoenix Suns - Black Enterprise

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Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. elicited confusion and condemnation from media figures on CNN and MSNBC after the conservative lawmaker announced a bill to ban abortion federally after 15 weeks.

The announcement of the "Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn Children from Late-Term Abortions Act" comes as Democrats continue to hammer Republicans over state laws that restrict access to abortions, believing it to be a winning issue for the party.

CNN political commentator Alyssa Farah Griffin said Wednesday that Grahams decision to go "rogue" against the "Republican orthodoxy" on abortion was frustrating, suggesting that the Senators announcement helped provide cover for the Biden administrations "terrible" inflation numbers.

"The question is why Lindsey Graham is walking across the street to punch himself in the face," CNN's John Avlon chimed in. ""He's hanging a lantern on the fact that there's complete hypocrisy on the issue of states rights. This is the opposite of states rights. This is the entire argument that the Republicans have been making for a long time, this shouldn't be decided by the courts, it should be decided by state to state. A position we saw Lindsey Graham himself made in August and now he's reversing it."

NBCS ALCINDOR CLAIMS REPUBLICAN WOMEN EXTREMELY UPSET ABOUT ABORTION, FEEL 'BETRAYED' BY PARTY

FILE - Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks with reporters about aid to Ukraine, on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, March 10, 2022, in Washington. ((AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File))

Indeed, Graham on more than one occasion has been vocal that abortion laws should be determined on a state by state basis. Last month, Graham said this on CNNs "State of the Union": "Ive been consistent. I think states should decide the issue of marriage and states should decide the issue of abortion."

Grahams sudden announcement also drew criticism from ABCs The View, which again saw self-proclaimed conservative Farah Griffin question the senators political strategy. She hypothesized Graham was attempting to get "goodwill" with some parts of the Republican base, but said she disagreed with the approach entirely. Farah Griffin instead pushed the more common Republican position of leaving it up to states.

"How about let the women make that decision, to h--- with these states," co-host Whoopi Goldberg chimed in.

Much of the discussion surrounding the proposed federal abortion ban was found on MSNBC, with hosts and reporters pointing to the senators announcement as a massive political blunder, and proof of how important abortion will be to voters in the upcoming elections.

Labeling Graham "the most cravenly opportunistic politician in America," far-left MSNBC host Joy Reid called his proposal a "dangerous, ugly and desperation move" to bolster support ahead of the midterms.

LIBERALS BLAST MEDIA COVERAGE OF GRAHAMS 15-WEEK ABORTION BAN, SAY NO SUCH THING AS 'LATE-TERM' ABORTION

People gather to protest the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022, in Portland, Oregon. Voters in Oregon and Washington told Fox News abortion, affordable housing and the environment are among their top priorities this election season. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images)

[Grahams announcement] is the most definitive evidence you are ever going to get that Republicans know that abortion, not inflation, not crime, abortion, will be the most important issue for voters in November," Reid added.

Meanwhile, MSNBC political analyst Juanita Tolliver suggested that Grahams abortion bill was less about his strategy as a politician, and more about the larger aims of the Republican Party.

"Theyve shown that theyre hell bent on controlling women and pregnant people," she said in part.

Appearing on MSNBCs "Morning Joe," Al Sharpton said that Graham was successful in energy the base in the abortion fight for the midterms, just perhaps not the base he intended.

"It couldnt have been better for the Democrats," Sharpton added. "I remember growing up I had a mentor that told me Al, if you see a guy on the edge of a cliff about to go over, give him room. Dont turn a suicide into a homicide. So, I say to Democrats, back up and let him go over the cliff."

STRATEGISTS WEIGH IMPLICATIONS OF ABORTION, STUDENT LOAN HANDOUT, GUN CONTROL ON UPCOMING MIDTERMS

Protesters hold placards expressing their opinion at a pro abortion rights rally. People from many different cities gathered to support and rally for abortion rights. (Photo by Whitney Saleski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The rise in support for abortion could affect the November midterm elections with voters viewing abortion as a more important issue than it has been in previous elections.

A recent Wall Street Journal poll found that support for abortion increased five percentage points, from 55% in March, before the Supreme Court reversal on Roe, to 60% in August among all likely voters.

Furthermore, a vast majority of Democrats (83%) said the ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization would make them more likely to vote in the midterm elections, while 53% of independents said the same.

A number of Republicans were quick to distance themselves from Grahams bill, with some openly dismissing the plan, and others choosing instead to redouble their midterm efforts on concerns about the economy and inflation, rather than abortion.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters on Tuesday that he believed the issue should be left up to the states and suggested many other Republicans agreed. Senator John Cornyn of Texas similarly told CNN that states should handle matters related to abortion.

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But, Graham appeared to disagree, arguing that the bill could help Republicans in the midterms and provide an "alternative to the very radical position by Democratic senators."

Fox News Tyler Olsen and Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.

Nikolas Lanum is an associate editor for Fox News Digital.

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MSNBC, CNN, ABC's 'The View' slam Lindsey Graham over 15 week abortion ban, call it political 'suicide' - Fox News

Tomorrow, President Biden will host the United We Stand Summit to counter the corrosive effects of hate-fueled violence on our democracy and public safety, highlight the response of the Biden-Harris Administration and communities nationwide to these dangers, and put forward a shared vision for a more united America. The United We Stand Summit will present an important opportunity for Americans of all races, religions, regions, political affiliations, and walks of life to stand together to help heal the soul of our nation.

See what a bipartisan group of leaders are saying ahead of the Summit:

Elected Officials

Mayor David Holt, Oklahoma City, OK: We certainly can use more of this. Our @OKCNM illustrates the price of hate, dehumanization & political violence. It is long past time for each of us to elevate our discourse & assume that obligation personally. Looking forward to the ideas that will come out of this summit.

Fmr. Rep. Mia Love (R-UT): The greatest threat to America is the contempt-driven hatred and politically-poisoned rhetoric we are spewing toward each other. We must realize that as Americans we are sisters and brothers and fellow travelers with common hopes, dreams and goals. Hate and the violent words, attitudes and actions that follow have no place in this most extraordinary nation.America is at its best when we are country of big ideas, diverse opinions and respectful, rigorous debate. We the people must choose to live up to the better angels of our nature.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD): Im delighted that President Biden has announced the United We Stand Summit to reject political violence and heal Americas divisions. Leaders from across the spectrum will convene to discuss how we can overcome extremism and foster safe & civil political discourse.

Governor Spencer Cox (R- UT): Its never a bad thing to invite people from different parties to sit down, learn about each other, and figure out together how to bridge hate and division. Were always looking for opportunities to find common ground.

Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY): For Buffalo, the terror and destruction of hate-filled violence is personal. Next month @POTUS Biden will be leading a conversation on how we can work to bring people together rather than tear communities apart.

Mayor John Giles, Mesa, AZ: We are better when we lead with compassion and look to what we have in common rather than our differences. Hate-fueled violence has no place in our country. Lets focus on what brings us together rather than what tears us apart. #TogetherMesa #UnitedWeStand

Fmr. Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA): For the past decade there has been a troubling increase in hate crimes and violence against minority, religious and ethnic groups. I welcome President Bidens Summit and the needed bipartisan attention to this issue at every level of government federal, state and local as well as from our religious communities. Hate crimes and the violence it creates divides our communities and strikes fear in those who are targets. We must stand united against such violence and encourage our elected officials, law enforcement, and leaders at all levels to work together in the way President Lincoln once inspired his countrymen touched by the better angels of our nature.

Faith Leaders

Nathan Diament, Executive Director for Public Policy for the Orthodox Union: We @OUAdvocacy welcome the plan to convene, per our advocacy, a @WhiteHouse summit on combating hate-fueled violence, including #antisemitism. We look forward to further partnership w/@POTUS & others on this critical front.

Salam Al-Marayati,President of the Muslim Public Affairs Council: We welcome the United We Stand Summit. Only through unity can we defeat this cancer in our society. We believe in developing a better understanding as the primary means of defeating hate and for bringing light to the situation to overcome the darkness. United We Stand promises to be an excellent first step to understanding the problem and creating lasting change that will reduce hate-based violence.

Sister Donna Markham, President of Catholic Charities USA: At a time when our society is becoming increasingly contentious and divisions between us more extreme and dangerous, the importance of opportunities such as the White House unity summit, United We Stand: Countering Hate-Fueled Violence Together, could not be more timely. It is crucial that we hear the voices of those with whom we disagree without engaging in violence, personal attacks and vitriolic interchanges that serve only to divide us further and shred the beautiful tapestry of our national identity.

The Sikh Coalition: Today, the Biden Administration announced that on Thursday, September 15, @POTUS will host the United We Stand Summit at the @WhiteHouse to counter the corrosive effects of hate-fueled violence on our nation. The event falls on the anniversary of the 2001 hate-fueled murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi and the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church Bombingboth painful reminders that white supremacist hate violence is not a new phenomenon in our nation. We can no longer allow white supremacy to spread and continue to cause long-lasting harm to our houses of worship, community centers, and people. The Sikh Coalition continues to work with the White House to address hate violence and looks forward to participating in the summit.

Ed Stetzer, Billy Graham Distinguished Chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College and Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College: The @WhiteHouse is planning United We Stand: Countering Hate-Fueled Violence Together. It indicates a commitment to put forward a shared, bipartisan vision for a more united America.

MultiFaith Neighbor Network: Just as we are working to build resilient communities together despite theological differences, the United We Stand Summit will be an opportunity for Americans of all races, religions, regions and political affiliations to prevent acts of hate together.

National Latino Evangelical Coalition: The @WhiteHouse is calling for a united stand against hate-fueled violence. No matter your political affiliation, all people of good will should work to end hate-fueled violence. Ending violence is a non-partisan activity. Lets work on it together.

Jim Wallis, Founder of Sojourners and Director of the Georgetown University Center on Faith and Justice: No matter our politics, it is time for faith & community leaders to unite together against the escalation of fear + hate that is causing a rise in political violence. So I am grateful for the White House United We Stand Summit on September 15. Ill be there with hopes & prayers.

All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center: ADAMS has long history of Interfaith and MultiFaith work going back to the 1990s. ADAMS has consistently worked together with Protestant, Roman Catholic, Evangelical Christian, Latter-day Saints, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Bahai, Buddhist, and Zoroastrian faith communities to counter all hate and bigotry. ADAMS looks forward to working with the White House on this MultiFaith effort. We have worked with Local, Regional and National Law Enforcement to partner together for safer and peaceful communities.

The Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign: The Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign welcomes the United We Stand: Countering Hate-Fueled Violence Together Summit at The White House on September 15, 2022, and looks forward to participating in this important convening. As a national multifaith coalition of religious denominations and faith-based organizations, we are committed to addressing, countering, and preventing anti-Muslim discrimination and violence in the United States. We help faith communities understand that anti-Muslim discrimination is not just a Muslim issue. It is a problem that impacts us all. In this work, we have the privilege of working with national and local uniters who are faith and community leaders building bridges and countering discrimination and hate-fueled violence at all levels of society. We are eager to partner with all those who are committed to creating safer and more resilient interconnected communities here in our nation. We thank our nations leaders for prioritizing this important and necessary effort.

Civic Leaders and Civil Rights Leaders

Marc Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League: The murderous attack in Buffalo, NY by a white supremacist, the Synagogue shooting in Pennsylvania, bomb threats against Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and the heinous attack against Asian women in Atlanta are just a few examples that prove the threat of hate-fueled violence and extremism is growing at a rapid pace. Set on the anniversary of the tragic 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963, the United We Stand Summit will give officials from all levels of government, faith leaders, civil society groups, and directly impacted communities across the country the opportunity to address these issues firsthand. We commend President Biden for his leadership in organizing this summit and giving these groups a platform to acknowledge the lasting impact these incidents have on our communities. This is a necessary first step to addressing the spread of violence and preserving our democracy.

Jonathan Greenblatt, Anti-Defamation League CEO and National Director: Hate and extremism are at a historic high. They threaten our democratic institutions and undermine our norms of inclusion and tolerance. Violent extremists like white supremacists threaten our children and our neighbors, and they create terror that reverberates across our communities. United We Stand promises to be an excellent first step to understanding the problem and creating lasting change to reduce these threats.

John Bridgeland, President and CEO of Civic Enterprises and former Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under President George W. Bush: American greatness starts with the big idea that we can disagree without demonizing each other so we can move forward in common purpose. Im excited to see the President call on all of us even his Administrations fiercest critics and members of the opposition party to take a stand against hatred and violence to help heal our land and get our country moving again. Combating hatred and violence is not a red or blue cause. Its an American cause.

Michael Gerson, Assistant to the President for Policy and Strategic Planning, President George W. Bush: Nothing is more destructive to democratic self-government than the dehumanization of political opponents, which invariably turns into an excuse for intimidation and violence. A firm, concerted, bipartisan response in which people of every ideological background are willing to confront the offenses of their own supporters is the only way to expose and stigmatize this dangerous trend in American life. And such a response must be rooted in a conviction that all people political allies and opponents alike are created with equal rights and dignity. This belief is the basis for a successful democracy, and the much-needed focus of the administrations summit.

Reverend Al Sharpton, Founder and President, National Action Network: In late May in the aftermath of the Hate Massacre in Buffalo, NAN & 3 national groups called for a White House Summit on Hate Violence. It is good to see that the WH announced such a Summit today. We look forward to a substantive and concrete event.

Arthur Brooks, Professor at Harvard University and Former President of American Enterprise Institute (AEI): This is such a great country. But we are weakening it from the inside out by not standing together. America and its strength are a gift to the world. We have an opportunity to make the world a better place, but only if we stand together. And our strength is in our diversity and in our differences. Lets all be an example of how we can still love each other especially when we disagree. I will be proud to see what happens from this important Summit and praying for its success.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights: We welcome the @WhiteHouses announced United We Stand summit to counter the ongoing threat of hate violence. We look forward to participating in the summit and continuing the important work of addressing this scourge on our democracy.

Peter Wehner, Director of the Office of Strategic Initiative and Deputy Director of Presidential Speechwriting under President George W. Bush: We need to come together in common purpose to address hate and violence in America. Im heartened to see the President initiate a White House Summit to bring Americans together to find solutions to this national challenge.

Sindy Benavides, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC):Unfortunately, the Latino community, as well as many other minority and religious communities, have been victimized over and over again by deadly gun violence. As a civil rights and social justice organization, LULAC applauds the White House for bringing this issue to the forefront and acknowledging that government needs to have a leading role in addressing domestic extremism in all forms. LULAC looks forward to working with the Biden Administration, law enforcement, stakeholders at all levels of government and other community groups to find long-term solutions.

John C. Yang, Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice AAJC: Asian Americans Advancing Justice AAJC commends the Biden administration for announcing its United We Stand Summit to bring Americans together to discuss how we can build bridges and address hate-fueled violence and division. We look forward to sharing our perspectives on what Asian American communities need to feel safe in the face of ongoing anti-Asian hate and reinforcing our commitment to building solidarity across communities impacted by hate.

Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality: We see examples every day of the rising threat from violence fueled by extremism and hate. Whether youre transgender or not, Black, white or brown, born in the United States or a newcomer to our country, extremism and hate impact all of our lives and put all of us at risk. Violence against transgender people, particularly Black transgender women, is on the rise, stoked by attacks from some politicians who want to divide our communities for political gain. The Biden-Harris administration recognizes the danger of hate-fueled violence and is taking a stand against it. President Biden understands the severity of anti-trans violence and the risk that hate and extremism pose to our democracy, and hes doing something about it.

Margaret Huang, President and CEO, Southern Poverty Law Center: We welcome President Bidens announcement today that the White House will host a national summit next month to address hate violence and extremism. President Biden has repeatedly demonstrated that he understands the importance of speaking out against hate. We hope the summit will provide an opportunity for elected officials and faith, business, and community leaders to come together to identify best practices to address hate-fueled violence. And we hope this event will launch a continuing commitment to address these issues in our communitiesWe applaud the presidents important effort to help unify our nation and we stand ready to assist in this essential work.

Joni Madison, Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Interim President: We are living in a time of polarization and extremism, with dangerous, extremist rhetoric on the rise. We have seen a marked increase in online vitriol against LGBTQ+ people that has led to acts of intimidation and violence in real life not to mention an increase in state legislation that targets the LGBTQ+ community. The rise of this online hate does not have only political implications; violent rhetoric leads to stigma, radicalization, and ultimately violent actions. Nearly one-in-five of any type of hate crime is now motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ bias, and the last two years have been the deadliest for transgender people, particularly Black transgender women.

The United We Stand Summit cannot come at a more crucial time, and the Human Rights Campaign is grateful to President Biden for focusing on this key issue and convening this event. We look forward to joining with other leaders to combat the rise of extremism and violence.

Jim Steyer, Founder and CEO of Common Sense Media: Next months @WhiteHouse summit on hate-fueled violence in the country could not be more important. In the meantime, we can all do our part to help protect our kids from deadly violence spawned by online hatred & lieswhether in the classroom or chatroom. #SocialMedia provides the cover to openly display and share hatred and ignorance, intentional misinformation, and acts of violence. Promoting hatred online is inexcusable, as is #BigTech companies deliberate effort to profit from it. #StopHateforProfit. Time and time again, hatred for others is the catalyst for gun violence that ends in tragedy. We must hold #BigTech accountable so that #SocialMedia and other online platforms can no longer serve as safe spaces for racism, antisemitism, and all forms of prejudice to fester. The @WhiteHouse summit must also focus on how these platforms amplify hate in the pursuit of profit. #SocialMedias role in spreading hate-filled messages, misinformation, and disinformation cannot be overlooked, now or in the future.

National Asian Pacific American Womens Forum: NAPAWF applauds the White Houses announcement to host the United We Stand Summit in an effort to counter hate-fueled violence, prevent radicalization and mobilization to violence, and foster unity. NAPAWF appreciates President Bidens recognition of the need to discuss and address hate-fueled violence.

Violence has been rising in our community over the last few years in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing political extremism, says Isra Pananon Weeks, Interim Executive Director and Chief of Staff of the National Asian Pacific American Womens Forum (NAPAWF). This violence has disproportionately impacted AAPI women, who are twice as likely to have reported incidents of discrimination. We are heartened by President Bidens actions to address hate-fueled violence and will continue to advocate that our community and others most impacted by growing violence are centered in the strategies to address this critical issue.

Stop Hate for Profit Coalition: The nations leading coalition of civic advocacy organizations committed to protecting civil and human rights and the well-being of families online, Stop Hate for Profit (#SHFP) applauds the Biden White House for announcing a summit on what can be done to reduce hate fueled violence in America in the wake of mass shootings rooted in racism, antisemitism, hatred, and Americas very real youth mental health crisis.

As a coalition that has focused on the role that social media plays in spreading hate-filled messages, misinformation, and disinformation, we believe the summit is a critical opportunity to shine a bright light on the well documented amplification of hatred by social media platforms in the pursuit of profit. We can and must reduce the spread of online hatred and lies that lead to deadly violence.

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WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: Bipartisan Praise of the United We Stand Summit - The White House