Virginia Foxx - Chairwoman of the Education and the Workforce committee | Official U.S. House headshot
Virginia Foxx - Chairwoman of the Education and the Workforce committee | Official U.S. House headshot
On September 19, 2024, Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) addressed the House Floor in support of H.R. 3724, known as the End Woke Higher Education Act. This bill aims to protect First Amendment freedoms on college campuses and ensure that institutions are not penalized for rejecting certain policies.
Chairwoman Foxx's prepared remarks highlighted her concerns about the state of free speech in higher education. "I rise today in support of H.R. 3724, the End Woke Higher Education Act," she stated. She drew a comparison between the freedom of speech enjoyed by Members of Congress under the Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause and what she perceives as a decline in First Amendment protections on campuses.
Foxx cited several instances where individuals faced repercussions for their views: "Men and women are biologically different. This position held by swimmer Riley Gaines endangered her very life on a trip to San Francisco State University." She also mentioned conservative-libertarian Georgetown lecturer Ilya Shapiro, who faced a lengthy investigation and resignation due to his views on DEI policies, and Professor Erika Christakis at Yale, who stopped teaching after backlash over an email regarding Halloween costumes.
"These three statements, as unobjectionable and inoffensive as they may seem, are widely censored on college campuses," Foxx asserted. She argued that retaliatory censorship leads to widespread self-censorship among students and faculty.
H.R. 3724 seeks to address these issues by mandating viewpoint neutrality in the accreditation process, requiring robust free speech policies for public colleges accessing Title IV funds, and prohibiting political litmus tests for students and faculty.
Foxx expressed gratitude towards several representatives for their contributions to the bill: Reps. Owens (R-UT), Williams (R-NY), Houchin (R-IN), Walberg (R-MI), Stefanik (R-NY), Crenshaw (R-TX), Kiley (R-CA), and Murphy (R-NC). She concluded with a call to renew free expression as a fundamental aspect of postsecondary education.
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