From Senator Lindsey Graham's Office

WASHINGTON – Legislation that will end American taxpayer dollars going to the Palestinian Authority if they do not stop paying monetary rewards to terrorists and their surviving family members is set to pass Congress this week as part of the government funding bill.   

The legislation – the Taylor Force Act – was introduced by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina).  Force’s parents – Robbi and Stuart Force – live in Kiawah Island, South Carolina.

Taylor Force was a West Point graduate and United States Army veteran who was visiting Israel as a part of a Vanderbilt University program. He was brutally stabbed and killed by a Palestinian terrorist. The Palestinian Authority praised Force’s killer as a ‘heroic martyr’ and is paying the killer’s family a monthly cash stipend. Last year, President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas said he would not stop the practice of paying terrorists, even if he had to step down from office.

“After over two years of very hard work, we are on the verge of having the Taylor Force Act become law,” said Graham. “This is one of the most significant pieces of legislation I’ve been involved with. The powerful message from the Force family, along with effort from the pro-Israel community led by Sander Gerber, have made this possible.”

“Taylor was an American hero who was brutally murdered at the hands of terrorists,” said Graham. “Yet instead of condemning this horrific attack – and so many others like it – the Palestinian Authority pays monetary rewards to terrorists and their families. These rewards for terrorist attacks are inconsistent with American values. They are inconsistent with decency, and they are certainly inconsistent with peace.”

“Passage of the Taylor Force Act will give us much-needed leverage with the Palestinians to push back on this outrageous policy,” said Graham. “Finally, this was truly a bipartisan effort and I appreciate Senator Mitch McConnell, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, Senator Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Paul Ryan, Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Ed Royce and Eliot Engel, and many others for helping push it across the finish line. I also appreciate the hard work of the Force family and the many friends of Taylor Force who made it clear to Congress that this practice must be stopped.”