E&W Blog

Today, the Education and Workforce Committee held a hearing to examine the main drivers of antisemitism on college campuses such as polices on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), foreign funding, unions, and faculty members that espouse antisemitism. 

Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) discussed how DEI policies perpetuate antisemitic ideology. “The DEI ideology embraced by so many university bureaucrats categorizes Jews as white oppressors—and therefore excuses, or even justifies, antisemitic harassment. The violence, fear, and alienation felt by Jewish students is, at its core, a result of administrators and their staff lacking the moral clarity to condemn and punish antisemitism that is creating a hostile environment for Jewish students on America’s campuses,” he explained.

Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT) highlighted how antisemitic speakers who have been welcomed on college campuses have played a role in spreading hatred. He asked Dr. Robert M. Groves, Interim President of Georgetown University, whether Georgetown would allow members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) to speak on campus. Dr. Groves replied with a non-committal “I don’t think we would.” Rep. Owens followed up and asked, “if Georgetown would prevent white KKK bigots on campus, why would the university allow faculty and students to invite antisemitic bigots?”

In his line of questioning, Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) listed examples of antisemitic speech used by faulty and professors on each campus. He asked Dr. Rich Lyons, Chancellor at the University of California, Berkeley, why he hired and continues to employ a professor who stated the unprovoked October 7th attack was justified. Chancellor Lyons defended this professor multiple times by stating he is “a fine scholar.”  

Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R-WA) discussed foreign funding and called for increased transparency around foreign donations and partnerships. When asked whether he would commit to full transparency of foreign funding, Chancellor Lyons stated he has several donors who request anonymity and could not commit to transparency. “What do you think that says to the American people when you want to hide foreign influence on your college campus?” Rep. Baumgartner replied. 

In an exchange with Dr. Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, Chancellor of The City University of New York, Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) brought up two faculty members who voiced support for Hamas and compared Zionists to Nazis. “I have been clear that Hamas is a terrible terrorist organization, and we have no tolerance at the City University of New York for anyone who would embrace that support of Hamas,” Dr. Matos Rodriguez stated. However, when asked whether these professors were dismissed or reprimanded, he failed to provide an answer.

Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI) noted that antisemitism is so widespread at universities due to their political leanings. “Universities are just overwhelmingly Democrat, which is a breeding ground for this antisemitism because right now the progressive wing of the Democrat party…this anti-Israel feeling has become…the norm,” he said. 

Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI) asked Chancellor Lyons why some Jewish students might not feel safe on his campus and he replied with, “Well, I think there are Jewish people that don’t feel safe in lots of parts,” dismissing the concerns about antisemitism on campus. When she asked again, the Chancellor said, “I think there is antisemitism in society,” further undermining his credibility to take antisemitism on campus seriously.

Bottom line: Colleges and universities have failed to address the drivers of antisemitism on campus, leading to surging antisemitism and hostility toward Jews, decreased ideological diversity, and diminished discourse. Republicans are holding these schools accountable and working to protect Jewish students and faculty.