Speaker Johnson announces House crackdown on antisemitism on campuses

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and other House Republicans are intensifying their criticism of the nationwide college protests linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Johnson, at a press conference on Tuesday, April 30, described the situation at Columbia University as “out of control” and urged President Joe Biden to adopt a firmer stance on the issue.

“Antisemitism is a virus and because the administration and woke university presidents aren’t stepping in, we’re seeing it spread,” Johnson said, adding that “nearly every committee here has a role to play in these efforts to stop the madness that has ensued.”

House Republicans are advocating for cuts in federal funding to colleges that host these protests and have initiated an investigation into how university administrations manage these demonstrations. They are also pushing for a congressional hearing with several university presidents to further address the situation.

Since January, House Education and the Workforce Chair Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., has initiated six antisemitism investigations into several universities, including Rutgers, the University of California, Berkeley, MIT, Columbia, the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard.

Meanwhile, the House is preparing to vote on the “Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023.” This legislation aims to clarify the definition of antisemitism for the application of anti-discrimination laws, though it has encountered opposition from some Democrats over the act’s definition of antisemitism.

“Those are the policy changes that we’re demanding,” Johnson said. “If they don’t correct this quickly, you will see Congress respond in time. You’re gonna see funding sources begin to dry up. You’re gonna see every level of accountability that we can muster.”