Meng nets kosher bacon

Queens Rep. Grace Meng said on Friday that several provisions she championed which are critical to Israel and the Jewish community were included in a key spending package that recently passed the House of Representatives.

Meng, a Democratic member of the House Appropriations Committee, listed:

•$500 million for U.S.-Israel Missile Defense Cooperation, including $95 million for Iron Dome; $141 million for development of block upgrades for David’s Sling, extending the system’s range, improving its seeker capabilities and addressing cruise missile threats; $50 million for David’s Sling system components; $55 million for Arrow-3 system components; and $159 million for the Arrow System Improvement Program to support upgrades and survivability, Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 launcher integration, and compatibility with U.S. systems.

•Ensuring that the Office of the Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues is provided with funding consistent with prior years, so that it can continue to deliver assistance and justice to Holocaust victims and their families, and make certain that the Holocaust is remembered properly and accurately.

•Directing the Secretary of State to ensure that the Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism has sufficient resources and staff.

•Directing the State Department to report on negotiations for the release of U.S. citizens and residents who have been detained in Iran. The measure also urges the Secretary of State to prioritize cases, to continue to press Iran for the immediate release of those detained, and to provide information on any U.S. citizens who have disappeared within its borders.

•Asking the Secretary of State to submit a report on efforts by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to detect Hezbollah tunnels in southern Lebanon, and the steps the U.S. administration is taking to urge the Security Council to sanction Hezbollah.

•Calling for at least $5 million to help refugees from the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and other regions resettle in Israel.

Meng supported $3.3 billion in foreign military assistance to Israel to help ensure that Israel maintains a qualitative military edge over neighboring countries and would be able to defend itself against any threat, her office reported.