Two U.S. House of Representatives members from Michigan — members of House Education and Workforce Committee — said Tuesday that colleges and universities need to do more to fight the rise of antisemitism on campus.
The meeting took place a day before the committee was scheduled to host a hearing that would bring together university and college presidents to answer questions about how they’re fighting antisemitism.
The hearing comes with a backdrop of the Trump administration signing executive orders and forming a multi-agency Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism. The administration has threatened educational institutions that don’t take measures to fight antisemitism with federal funding cuts. In some cases, it’s already pulled grants and contracts with schools.
That sentiment was echoed Tuesday by Representative Lisa McClain (R-MI 10), who's on the Education and Workforce Committee and said colleges and universities need to show how they've addressed antisemitism. “And if they're not doing anything, then I have a question. Why should they receive federal funding? My answer is clear. They shouldn't.”
Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI 5) chairs the committee. He said the committee’s previous hearings on antisemitism on campus have not resulted in enough change to protect Jewish students.
“We stood in this room for a similar press conference last year, and hoping that it would be the last one that we would need. I don't think that's going to be the case," Walberg said.
Some Jewish student and faculty groups have said what Walberg and others describe as efforts to combat antisemitism are actually stifling legitimate speech criticizing Israel's human rights record and its war on Gaza.
A coalition of Jewish groups last month said the Trump administration is making Jewish people feel less safe by targeting pro-Palestinian activists.
