(NewsNation) — House Republicans are set to grill three college presidents accused of tolerating antisemitism as pro-Palestinian protests took campuses by storm last year.
The presidents of Haverford College, California Polytechnic State University and DePaul University will appear before the Committee of Education and Workforce on Wednesday at 10:15 a.m. EDT.
“This hearing is a continuation of this work so that we can ensure Jewish students across the nation don’t face threats or harassment in violation of Title VI,” said committee chair Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., in a statement.
Police clash with protesters at University of Washington
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.
Recent Gaza war protests on college campuses
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.
Police clash with protesters at University of Washington
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.
Trump cuts federal funding for universities
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.
Texas lawmakers want to defund cities over ‘left-leaning’ laws
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.”
NewsNation’s Nancy Loo and Anna Kutz contributed to this report.
