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Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) sent a letter to Mayor Daniel Biss requesting a briefing after Committee documents revealed that Biss refused to clear Northwestern University’s violent and antisemitic encampment in 2024 in order to “shore up” his “progressive credentials.”

In the letter, Chairman Walberg writes: "I write with grave concern regarding your failure to protect Jewish students at Northwestern University (Northwestern) by refusing to give the university the police support it desperately needed to clear its violent and antisemitic encampment in April 2024. Just recently you touted this failure in a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, describing the individuals at the encampment as 'peaceful.' In reality, the encampment was a hotbed of antisemitic harassment and hostility, including multiple alleged assaults and virulently antisemitic signage."

Chairman Walberg continues: "Indeed, Committee documents show that Northwestern was looking to arrest protesters on April 26 but was unable to do so with 'too few police to safely get this done' due to your refusal to provide support. Concerningly, a Northwestern trustee said at the time that you were publicizing your refusal to provide the campus with support in order to 'shore up [your] progressive credentials.' The same trustee advised Northwestern’s then-president: 'If the winds blow the wrong way [Biss] will throw you under the bus. No hesitation.'"  

The Chairman concludes: "Considering your recent interest in campus conduct and antidiscrimination efforts at Northwestern, the Committee requests a briefing on, in your words, 'local law-enforcement coordination' when it comes to antisemitic activity on college campuses in Evanston. This briefing will aid the Committee in considering whether potential legislative changes, including legislation to specifically address antisemitic discrimination, are needed."

To read the full letter and documents, click here.

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