B’nai B’rith President Robert Spitzer and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:

We watched President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address tonight with an acute focus on issues pertaining to our core mission, including security for Israel, fighting anti-Semitism and supporting affordable housing and health care for low-income seniors.

We support the Trump administration’s efforts to end Iran’s nuclear program and back the steps necessary to also stop Tehran’s ballistic missile program, upend its ongoing support for terror, eliminate its destabilizing actions around the world and stop its incessant threats to annihilate Israel.

Trump noted of Iran, “They are pursuing their sinister ambitions.” And stressed, “I will never allow the world’s Number 1 sponsor of terror…which they are…to have a nuclear weapon.”

On the situation in Gaza, the president said about the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, “Every hostage, living and dead, has been returned home.”  We thank the president for his role in the successful return to Israel of all of the hostages Hamas captured in its Oct. 7, 2023, rampage. We are grateful the U.S.—Israel partnership remains strong.

Looking ahead, we note that Hamas must be disarmed and have no role at all in the future governance of Gaza. There can be no lasting peace in the region while Hamas remains armed. Hamas remains an organization that has repeatedly proven it cannot be trusted to retain the tools to wage war. Until Hamas is fully and permanently disarmed and verifiably has no role in Gaza’s future, the prospect for peace will remain out of reach.

The president spent significant time discussing immigration. We welcome efforts to enforce our borders but call on the president to direct ICE to focus its apprehension efforts on the violent criminals we all agree should be deported and to cooperate with local jurisdictions in this work. The use of force against peaceful protesters is simply unacceptable and should not be permitted.

Immigration has been an essential issue over the last few years. B’nai B’rith has long supported comprehensive immigration reform that combines enforcement with a path to normalization. We urge lawmakers to focus on a bipartisan solution to the immigration issue.  

We appreciate the president highlighting the high cost of prescription drugs—a huge expense for most seniors—and we are evaluating his proposals. We also appreciate the president stressing a commitment to protect Social Security and Medicare, and we look forward to hearing more from the administration on this topic with further details. The president noted the government will create matching contributions of $1,000 a year for individual retirement funds. We will study the plan as details become available.

On the topic of home ownership, we urge that any plans to make housing more affordable include funds for low-income seniors. B’nai B’rith is the largest national Jewish sponsor of low-income housing for seniors in the country, with more than 50 years of expertise on affordable housing for seniors of limited means. A safe, affordable home is the foundation for healthy aging.

B’nai B’rith has never been a passive observer of issues on the global and domestic stage. For 183 years, we have engaged Congress and the White House directly and persistently on issues that matter to our community and to the nation and world. In the year ahead, we will intensify our efforts on vital matters, including insisting on policies that strengthen the security and prosperity of Israel. Silence is not acceptable. B’nai B’rith will continue to lead—with clarity, conviction and resolve.