Mike Johnson announces House probes into antisemitism at colleges

(NewsNation) — House lawmakers announced a new effort to crack down on what they say is antisemitism on college campuses, warning that universities that don’t comply could lose federal funding.

Every committee in the House of Representatives will play a role in this, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said at a news conference Tuesday.

“Antisemitism is a virus, and because the administration and woke university presidents aren’t stepping in, we’re seeing it spread,” Johnson said. “We have to act.”

House Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., the chair of the House Education Committee, said she’s inviting officials from Yale University, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Michigan to testify about how they are handling pro-Palestine demonstrations on campus.

A number of protests have broken out at universities nationwide, with those taking part saying they want to see their schools divest from companies that support Israel. They have also been speaking out against Israel’s military action in Gaza, which has killed over 34,000 Palestinians, per the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

Some students have said they have concerns over the protests, arguing that some criticism of Israel has veered into antisemitism. Student protesters have repeatedly emphasized, though, that those being antisemitic do not represent them and pointed out that many Jewish students are joining them in their cause. Some demonstrators held signs saying “Jews for Free Palestine” or “Jews for Palestine,” with videos showing images of Passover seders being hosted at protest tent encampments.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., said the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which she chairs, approves hundreds of millions of dollars in research grants to various universities. These will now be under heavier review for schools that allow civil rights violations during campus protests.

In addition, the House Ways and Means Committee is now going to review all investigations related to taxing and financing the universities, with Republican Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri saying they will receive extra scrutiny.

“We will not stop until we get answers, until Jewish students can feel safe and until these universities are held accountable,” Smith, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, said.

Antisemitism Awareness Act

Also this week, the Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023 cleared its first big hurdle, passing the House Rules Committee in a 7-4 vote Monday. Lawmakers in the House on Tuesday then passed the first procedural step for the bill, setting up a vote for it later this week.

The bill, originally written in October after Hamas’ attack on Israel that killed 1,200, would change what can be incorporated under the blanket of antisemitic acts of harassment. Under it, certain language and chants could be punished under federal anti-discrimination law. The definition of antisemitism, if the act passes, would include:

• denying Jewish “self-determination to their ancestral homeland of Israel”
• Calling for, aiding or justifying the killing or harming of Jewish people
• Making dehumanizing, demonizing or stereotypical allegations about Jewish people
• Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel than to the interests of their own nation
• Denying the Jewish people the right to self-determination; for example, claiming the existence of a state of Israel is a racist endeavor (anti-Zionism)
• Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis

While this legislation is bipartisan, with members of both parties having a hand in writing it, it’s also gotten criticism from Democrats and a small number of Republicans concerned that it’s overreaching and even infringing on people’s First Amendment rights, including speech and protest.

Rep. Jerry Nadler, a Democrat from New York, said the Antisemitism Awareness Act threatens to chill constitutionally protected speech. He added that the bill does not actually combat antisemitism. Rather, he says, vigorous enforcement of civil rights laws works better.

“Speech that is critical of Israel, alone, does not constitute discrimination,” Nadler said. “The bill sweeps too broadly.

NewsNation correspondent Elina Shirazi and The Associated Press contributed to this report.