NewsNation: Lawmakers grill college presidents over antisemitism concerns

House Republicans are grilling three college presidents accused of tolerating antisemitism as pro-Palestinian protests took campuses by storm last year.

“We’ve held and will continue to hold these universities accountable as they choose to stand idly by rather than meaningfully address the harassment of and discrimination against Jewish students on their campuses,” committee chair Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., said in opening statements.

He added: “What does antisemitism look like? It manifests in faculty who create a hostile environment on campus by expressing support for known terrorist groups, verbally harass Jewish students, and call for the destruction of Israel.”

The presidents of Haverford College, California Polytechnic State University and DePaul University appeared before the Committee of Education and Workforce on Wednesday.

Organizations like the Anti-Defamation League have reported incidents of antisemitism on these universities’ campuses. These incidents range from students being physically attacked to others chanting things perceived as antisemitic, sometimes even with faculty involvement.

During the congressional hearing, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, N.Y., grilled Haverford College President Wendy Raymond, saying: “You were the one university president who failed to lay out if any disciplinary action has been taken, if any suspensions or expulsions. So I am asking you, was there any disciplinary action taken?”

Raymond responded, “I will not be discussing individual cases.”

Stefanik pressed further: “Were they taken in response to antisemitism? Were they taken by Haverford?”

“Yes, there have been some,” Raymond finally confirmed.

Meanwhile, some Democrats on the committee echoed the concern over antisemitism on campuses but argued that Republicans and the Trump administration are, in their view, weaponizing the issue to pressure universities, particularly those in the Ivy League.

“As a mother who raised her children in a Jewish home and as an active member of my synagogue for more than 25 years, I can no longer pretend that this is a good-faith effort to root out anti-Semitism. Especially when the Trump administration and the majority party are regularly undermining Jewish values, including Justice, loving kindness, free speech, freedom of religion, and the Jewish responsibility of tikkun olam to repair the world,” said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., who is Jewish.

Ahead of Wednesday’s hearing, lawmakers said their goal is not to get the presidents fired for their handling of protests — but to get them to do their jobs.

“What we’re seeing on college campuses today isn’t activism, it’s intimidation, it’s harassment … Let me be clear, there’s no justification — none — for chanting in support of the evil terrorist group Hamas,” said Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah.

Some universities, such as Harvard, have shared concerns that the administration is using the “guise of combating antisemitism” to overstep and control the nation’s schools.

Earlier this week, protesters at the University of Washington clashed with police, occupying a campus building and calling for the school to cut ties with Boeing over its role in supplying weapons to the war in Gaza.

The occupation lasted several hours with blockades and dumpster fires, and it ended with police storming the building and making 30 arrests.

“The University will not be intimidated by this sort of offensive and destructive behavior and will continue to oppose antisemitism in all its forms,” university spokesperson Victor Balta said in a statement.

Hillel International, a Jewish student organization, said antisemetic incidents on college campuses increased 700% after the start of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023.

The president of DePaul University told NewsNation his campus has implemented systemic changes to eliminate antisemitism and that he looks forward to Wednesday’s hearing.

The committee’s findings could influence President Donald Trump‘s decisions on federal funding cuts. He previously vowed to curtail aid for schools that allow pro-Palestinian demonstrations or refuse to follow his controversial list of demands for institutions.

At Columbia University, the loss of federal funding has resulted in the termination of nearly 180 employees after Trump canceled $400 million in federal grants and contracts to the school.

Meanwhile, the Education Department said this week that Harvard will not receive any new federal grants until the school meets the administration’s demands.

Trump already froze more than $2 billion in federal grants to Harvard and wants to strip the school of its tax-exempt status.

Harvard has continued to call those actions “government overreach.”