Summary

Richard Shelby was born on 1934 and is currently serving as the senior United States Senator from the State of Alabama. Senator Shelby’s seat will be up for election in 2022.

Senator Shelby was first elected to the Senate in 1986 and is currently in his sixth term. Prior to becoming a Senator, Richard Shelby served a member of the Alabama Senate from 1971 to 1979. Between 1978-1987, he represented Alabama’s 7^th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Senator Shelby is Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations. He is a senior member on the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee and the Committee on Rules and Administration. He also serves on the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Below is Senator Shelby’s voting record and public positions on issues important to the Jewish Community 

Senator Shelby opposed the Iran Deal, and opposed UN Security Council Resolution 2334 that claimed that Israel’s settlements have no legal validity and supported the move of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.

He supported the Taylor Force Act, which stated that no American governmental funds shall be given to a Palestinian entity that financially rewards terrorists or their families.  

In 2018, he cosponsored the United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act, a legislation that supported full funding of security assistance to Israel as outlined in the 2016 U.S.-Israel Memorandum of Understanding.

Senator Shelby has supported legislation, such as the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, that fight discriminatory boycotts of Israel. In 2019, he voted for the Strengthening America’s Middle East Security Act which, among other things, strengthened Israel’s security and allowed a state or local government to adopt measures to divest its assets from entities that boycott Israel.