High Country Times

Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) recently discussed the impact of the Committee’s ongoing antisemitism investigation and oversight efforts in postsecondary education with American Enterprise Institute Research Fellow Max Eden.

Addressing concerns about balancing antisemitism with freedom of speech and academic freedom, Foxx stated, "The American people are pouring billions of dollars every year into these institutions, and yes, we have a right to hold them accountable for how the money is being spent." She emphasized that there is a significant difference between free speech and antisemitism, asserting that "Antisemitism is not acceptable under academic freedom."

Foxx criticized institutions for demanding funding without accountability, saying, "What the institutions of postsecondary education want is just give them all the money in the world that they asked for and leave them alone. And if you do try to hold them accountable, they’ll scream academic freedom." She also noted a lack of understanding about free speech among professors and students.

The Committee has introduced the Respecting the First Amendment on Campus Act to ensure better understanding of constitutional rights related to free speech on campuses. "What we’re trying to do is make sure that campuses do a better job of … having students understand what their rights are under the Constitution in terms of free speech and what the constraints are on the colleges and universities," Foxx explained.

Regarding Harvard's investigative update on antisemitism, Foxx pointed out that most condemning remarks came from Harvard faculty within the Antisemitism Advisory Group (AAG). The AAG report was submitted before Claudine Gay testified before Congress but was ignored by Harvard. Foxx expressed disappointment with both Harvard and the Biden Education Department for not addressing these issues: "It’s really a heartrending report. We’ve done the work for [the Department of Education] … and just like Claudine Gay, they’re ignoring the clear evidence of antisemitism that’s on campus."

She highlighted specific incidents from the report where students faced severe actions such as being spat upon or having their jewelry taken away.

On foreign funding in college campuses, Foxx referenced Secretary DeVos's observation during Trump’s administration that colleges were not complying with Section 117 of the Higher Education Act regarding foreign gift reporting. To address this issue, Congress passed the DETERRENT Act. Foxx stressed transparency: "We want to know … what’s coming into universities, what’s coming into departments, … [and] what’s coming into individual faculty members."

"We think the American people have a right to know," she concluded.