Republican lawmakers on Tuesday accused university leaders of enabling antisemitism through weak enforcement, ideological bias, and foreign funding, charges educators forcefully rejected in a heated House hearing that exposed deep divisions over campus speech and Jewish student safety.
The hearing featured tense exchanges with leaders from Georgetown University, the City University of New York (CUNY), and the University of California, Berkeley. Lawmakers questioned faculty who praised Hamas, student-led protests that disrupted campuses, and the influence of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and foreign donors, particularly Qatar, whom Republicans blamed for fueling a hostile climate for Jewish students.
It was the ninth time in 18 months that the House Education and the Workforce Committee has convened a hearing on antisemitism, revisiting familiar flashpoints now focused on how universities have responded to pro-Palestinian protests sparked by the war in Gaza.
Protesters repeatedly interrupted the hearing, shouting “There’s blood on your hands” and “Free Palestine!” After the fourth outburst, Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) shouted, “Shut up and get out of here!” He turned to the university leaders and said, “I hold you all responsible for this. It is the attitude you’ve allowed on your campuses that makes people think this is okay.”
Fine, who is Jewish, added: “Jewish students do not feel safe on your campus today, and you all should be ashamed.”
For over three hours, Georgetown interim president Robert Groves, CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, and Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons largely avoided the missteps that doomed other university leaders in previous high-profile hearings.
In a December 2023 hearing, the presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania came under fire after Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) asked whether students calling for the genocide of Jews would face discipline. Their contextual responses sparked backlash that led to their resignations.
This time, university leaders affirmed their commitment to combating antisemitism while defending the importance of free expression. They outlined steps taken since last year’s protests, including stricter protest policies, expanded antisemitism training, and initiatives to support Jewish students.
Rodríguez described how CUNY responded after protesters attempted to take over an administrative building during an encampment earlier this year. “We learned from that experience,” he said. “We now have a zero-tolerance policy against encampments.”
At Berkeley, a three-week tent protest ended after administrators agreed to review university investments. The school has since imposed limits on encampments and mask-wearing. Georgetown, meanwhile, avoided similar occupations, as students opted to join a demonstration at nearby George Washington University.
Republicans zeroed in on Qatari influence, especially at Georgetown, which maintains a campus in Doha. Fine accused the school of allowing events that “prop up antisemitism with foreign dollars,” citing a 2023 event featuring armed resistance imagery in solidarity with Palestine. Groves said he was unaware of the event.
Stefanik warned that foreign governments such as Qatar and China are funding antisemitic and anti-American narratives through United States universities.
“We cannot let foreign nations prop up antisemitism. We cannot let foreign nations prop up anti-Americanism, which has proven to be the case in many of these institutions, whether it’s Qatari money flowing into Middle Eastern Studies programs, or whether it’s money from the Communist Chinese party propping up Confucius Institutes,” Stefanik said, speaking to reporters following the hearing.
Groves also addressed Georgetown professor Jonathan Brown, who sparked backlash last month for a tweet calling for a “symbolic strike” by Iran on a U.S. military base. Brown has been placed on leave and removed as department chair.
“Within minutes of our learning of that tweet, the dean contacted Professor Brown. The tweet was removed. We issued a statement condemning the tweet. Professor Brown is no longer Chair of his department, and he’s on leave, and we’re beginning a process of reviewing the case,” Groves told lawmakers.
CUNY faced further scrutiny over a now-removed Hunter College job posting in Palestinian studies. The posting sought scholars with a “critical lens” on topics including “settler colonialism” and “apartheid.” Rodríguez said the listing was “entirely inappropriate” and was taken down after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) intervened.
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) challenged Rodríguez over the pro-boycott stance of CUNY’s faculty union president. Rodríguez emphasized the union does not speak for the university, but Foxx pressed him: “You obviously don’t think it’s problematic.”
During her questioning, Rep. Stefanik called for disciplinary action against CUNY law professor Ramzi Kassem, criticizing him for representing Mahmoud Khalil, a U.S. permanent resident detained under the Trump administration, which is still pursuing his deportation. She pointed to a separate incident involving a swastika found on a university building, accusing administrators of delaying its removal. Rodríguez said the symbol was preserved briefly for police investigation, and emphasized, “Antisemitism has no place at CUNY.”
Republican criticisms have closely mirrored President Donald Trump’s messaging, as he has moved to strip top universities of federal funding over their handling of antisemitism. A federal task force has launched investigations into several campuses, and international students involved in pro-Palestinian activism, including Khalil, have faced detention.
Democrats on the committee pushed back, accusing Republicans of weaponizing Jewish concerns to justify censorship and defunding. “I’m extremely disappointed in the majority for exploiting my community’s legitimate fears,” said Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR). “Jewish Americans and the American people deserve better.”
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Rep. Robert Scott (D-VA), the panel’s top Democrat, criticized Republicans for what he described as a narrow approach to antisemitism that ignored broader topics of discrimination and hate.
“Since this committee’s first antisemitism hearing in December 2023, we’ve not held a single hearing addressing racism, xenophobia, sexism, Islamophobia, or other challenges affecting other student groups on American college campuses,” Scott said.