Representative Elise Stefanik, a Republican from New York, grilled leaders of universities during a House Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing on May 23.
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For months, House Republicans have summoned university leaders to testify on Capitol Hill over allegations of antisemitism on their campuses with students calling for institutions to divest from Israel as it prosecutes its war against Hamas.
Republican lawmakers say they are holding hearings to get answers to reports of students saying they’ve been harassed on and around campus for being Jewish. So far, their efforts have led to resignations from university leaders and ongoing attention to campus protests. But the probes have also become a political tool in the GOP campaign to draw attention to divisions within the Democratic party.
Hearings like the one held this past week have fallen into a familiar rhythm. GOP members accused the leaders of Northwestern and Rutgers for negotiating with the protesters and criticized the chancellor of UCLA for not having police take action sooner.
“Here we are [again] holding another hearing to complain about the problem of antisemitism,” said Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., as the latest hearing with the heads of UCLA, Northwestern and Rutgers got underway. “But no work is being done to find a meaningful solution to address animus on college campuses. Complaining about a problem is not a solution – certainly it riles people up, generates a lot of media coverage, but it doesn’t solve anything.”
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