Speaker Johnson, Committee Chairs Release Investigative Report Following House-Wide Effort to Combat Antisemitism

WASHINGTON — Today, Speaker Johnson, House GOP Leadership, Chairwoman Virginia Foxx,  Chairman Jim Jordan, Chairman James Comer, Chairman Mike Bost, Chairman Jason Smith, and Energy and Commerce Subcommittee Chairman Morgan Griffith unveiled findings and recommendations originating from a more than 7-months long investigation into antisemitism on American college campuses.

Speaker Johnson announced this House-wide effort in April following the alarming surge in campus antisemitism related to Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel. This effort was led by the Education and Workforce Committee, the Energy and Commerce Committee, the Judiciary Committee, the Oversight Committee, the Veterans Affairs Committee, and the Ways and Means Committee.

“Over the past seven months, these committees have done important work. They’ve heard from government agencies, students, and universities, and did a deep dive into the ways we can stop anti-Jewish hate.  It’s our intent to take this report, its recommendations, and act,” Speaker Johnson said. “We’ll use what’s in here to continue protecting our Jewish brothers and sisters from discrimination and violence. But make no mistake, we will continue these efforts in the next Congress and anytime antisemitism rears its ugly head, the House will shine a light on it and take action.”

“On October 8th, the world saw that antisemitic hatred was alive and well at American institutions of so-called ‘higher’ education. As a result, the reputation of many of these schools has been in free fall,” Chairwoman Foxx said. “Stopping that free fall comes down to one word: accountability. We need accountability because without it, we cannot guarantee that Jewish students have the safe learning environment they deserve.”

“The Biden Administration’s failure to hold student visa holders and other temporary visa holders accountable is just another example of lawlessness and antisemitism being allowed to grow on college campuses across the country,” Chairman Jordan said. “If these foreign nationals broke the law and thus violated the terms of their visa, they should have their visas revoked. The Committee’s investigation uncovered that the Biden Administration was unwilling to hold these foreign nationals accountable.”

“I am proud to join my fellow House Republicans in releasing this important report to the American public. Radical, pro-Hamas, left-wing individuals openly paraded antisemitism in a coordinated effort to intimidate Jewish students and individuals. I saw this firsthand when I, along with several members of the House Oversight Committee, traveled to the George Washington University encampment in May,” Chairman Comer said. “The GWU encampment was quickly condemned by university leadership once antisemitic chants were heard and graffiti was spread throughout the area. University leadership asked D.C. officials to clear out the camp, but they refused. As D.C. officials continued to refuse to act on behalf of the university administration, students, and faculty, we applied the pressure. And it worked and the camp was cleared out. House Republicans will continue to be a stalwart against the disease of antisemitism and use our power to address it wherever it shows up.”

“Since Hamas’s attack on Israel, the Ways and Means Committee has been investigating antisemitism with a focus on tax-exempt organizations. Over the past year, we have found that American-based tax-exempt organizations have funneled or are suspected of funneling taxpayer dollars to terrorist organizations like Hamas, while colleges and universities that enjoy generous tax benefits have allowed antisemitism to spread unchecked on campus. They have ignored or even condoned intimidation, harassment, and violence. Clearly tax-exempt organizations are failing to uphold their end of the bargain when it comes to their generous tax benefits. That’s why just last month, the House passed the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, which strips U.S.-based organizations of their tax-exempt status if they are found to be materially supporting terrorist organizations. We must stop this abuse of our tax code that is funding terrorism around the world,” Chairman Smith said. “Congress has developed this report to serve as a road map for the incoming Trump Administration to hold those abusing the U.S. tax code accountable. We are sending a clear message: all tax-exempt organizations have a legal obligation to adhere to the requirements of the U.S. tax code.”

“Antisemitism has no place in America – period,” said Chairman Bost. “That’s why I spearheaded my committee’s investigation into vile anti-Jewish rhetoric, hate speech, and antisemitism that was openly on display at VA. It should go without saying that no veteran of Jewish faith should fear that they will be discriminated against when applying for VA benefits or using their GI Bill – but under the Biden-Harris administration this wasn’t true, and people needed to be held accountable. I am proud to join my House Republican colleagues in standing up for religious freedom by ensuring that we combat antisemitism and anti-Jewish hate speech across the country head-on. The men and women who have given their lives in defense of the American values our nation was built on – to include religious freedom – expect no less.”

“The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and National Institutes of Health are tasked with ensuring federal taxpayer dollars are not used to support harassing or discriminatory behavior. Unfortunately, they have failed in several cases contained within this report,” Subcommittee Chairman Morgan Griffith said. “Several NIH-funded institutions are evidently failing to create environments free of antisemitic behavior and harassing conduct. At a time where the Jewish community faces intense pressure, HHS, NIH and some NIH-funded entities are failing to rise to the occasion and allay concerns. This failure is unacceptable.”

“Over the past several months, House Republican committees have worked tirelessly to shed light on the pervasive antisemitism at our universities, the lack of accountability for students who engaged in harassment and discrimination, and the lack of accountability for these institutions under the Biden-Harris Administration. Jewish students should be able to walk across their campuses or attend classes without fear of being harassed, or worse, physically attacked. These universities failed in their most basic duty: providing students with a safe place to learn,” Majority Leader Scalise said. “This report is a great step forward in outlining what Congress and the Trump Administration can do to address the antisemitism running rampant in our country. American universities receiving federal funding are accountable to Congress and the American people, and we will not allow this hatred to continue unpunished. With President Trump at the helm and Republican majorities in the House and Senate, we will ensure these universities get back to what they are supposed to do – teach – instead of being breeding grounds for Hamas support.”

“After some of the so-called ‘elite universities’ in this country inexcusably failed to protect Jewish students, our House Republican majority made it clear: There will be no tolerance for antisemitism on our college campuses,” Whip Emmer said. “I applaud our committee chairs for standing up to pro-terrorist, antisemitic mob and providing much-needed accountability on this issue.”

“This report signifies that the fight is not over, but it has just begun, as we strive to build academic environments that celebrate religious freedom and promote the free and open exchange of ideas,” Conference Vice Chair Moore said.

Key Findings:

1. Universities Failed to Stop Antisemitism on Their Campuses, Likely Violating Title VI
2. Students who established unlawful antisemitic encampments—which violated university polices and created unsafe, hostile environments—were granted shocking concessions
3. So-Called University Leaders Intentionally Declined to Support Jewish Communities on Campus
4. Universities Failed to Enforce Their Rules and Impose Meaningful Discipline for Antisemitic Behavior, and in Some Cases, Radical Faculty Thwarted Meaningful Discipline
5. So-Called University Leaders Expressed Hostility to Congressional Oversight and Treated Campus Antisemitism as a Public Relations Issue, Not a Serious Problem Demanding Action

Recommendations:

Included in the report are 11 actionable recommendations for universities, the Executive Branch, and Congress consider for implementation.

Universities

• Universities Must Enforce Their Conduct Rules and Impose Meaningful Discipline
• Universities Must Protect Student Safety and Maintain a Safe and Uninterrupted Learning Environment
• Universities Should Forcefully Reject Antisemitism
• Universities Must Recognize That Discrimination Against “Zionists” is an Unacceptable Antisemitic Civil Rights Violation
• Universities Must Increase Academic Rigor and Viewpoint Diversity
• Universities Must Increase Transparency Regarding Their Handling of Conduct Incidents

Executive Branch

• The Executive Branch Should Aggressively Enforce Title VI and Hold Universities Accountable for Violating Their Obligations
• The Executive Branch Should Ensure Rigorous Adherence to the Clery Act and Issue Fines to Noncompliant Universities

Congress

• Congress Should Pass Legislation Removing Title IV Eligibility from Any University That Boycotts or Divests From Israel
• Congress Should Pass the DETERRENT Act
• Congress Should Pass the College Cost Reduction Act (“CCRA”)

Read the full report here.