WASHINGTON — As anti-Israel protests increased on campuses this week, some Republican members of Congress blasted universities for failing to stop anti-semitism.
“It’s a moral issue, and every school that allows this chaos to continue needs to lose all federal funds,” Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, said.
The press conference was held as the Trump administration and the House Committee on Education and Workforce investigated several universities for failing to punish participants in protests that criticized Israel. The presidents of three universities testified Wednesday before the House committee.
Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., who chairs the committee, said the hearing, “Beyond the Ivy League: Stopping the Spread of Antisemitism on American Campuses,” is needed because antisemitism has become a part of this “widespread problem” at public and private colleges across the country.
Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., said federal funding can and should be taken from universities that have not created a safer environment for Jewish students on campus, because this funding is “a privilege, not a right.”
University and college presidents who were called to testify in the hearing include Dr. Wendy Raymond of Haverford College in Pennsylvania, Dr. Jeffrey Armstrong of California Polytechnic State University and Dr. Robert Manuel of DePaul University in Illinois.
In an April 28 letter, Chairman Walberg requested that Northwestern University President Michael Schill come before the education committee to talk about antisemitic behavior on the campus, including recent vandalism outside of the university’s Center for Israeli and Jewish Studies building.
Walberg said there were no updates on scheduling Schill. The letter Walberg sent Schill gave the Northwestern president and his team only a week from receiving the notice to schedule an interview.
Northwestern University said they are currently reviewing the letter and request from Walberg.