Republicans push to 'defund' Harvard, other colleges that 'promote antisemitism'

Congressional Republicans have introduced legislation that would strip federal funding from colleges that "promote antisemitism" amid outrage toward Harvard and other schools.

A Republican-led effort to strip Harvard and other higher education institutions of federal funding is gaining steam, as calls grow in Congress to "defund" any institutions that allow antisemitism on campus. 

Less than two weeks after the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, a group of GOP senators, led by Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., introduced legislation that would rescind federal education funding for colleges and universities that allow "violent antisemitism," pointing directly to Harvard's silence at the time after more than 30 student organizations at the school blamed Israel for Hamas' attack on its civilians.

Now, following Harvard President Claudine Gay's and other Ivy League presidents' disastrous testimony before the House, lawmakers in the lower chamber are launching their own efforts to prevent tax dollars from going to institutions that allow antisemitism.

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The New York Post on Thursday reported that Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., is introducing legislation "to make Harvard and other colleges face real financial consequences if they are found to have fostered antisemitism on campus in the wake of the October 7 terrorist massacres of Israelis by Hamas."

"The American higher ed system is a racket, forcing taxpayers to first subsidize schools before roping them into paying student loans they didn’t choose to take on," Crane told the outlet in a statement regarding the bill, H.R. 6220. "The schools make out like bandits, indoctrinating our youth with hate and delusion, all while taxpayers fund the whole thing. My bill starts to combat this scheme."

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Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., whose questioning last week further exposed the policies toward handling antisemitism at Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and MIT, is also looking to pull federal funds from colleges and universities that do not do enough to combat antisemitism on campus.

"We must DEFUND the rot in America’s higher education," Stefanik said in a statement. 

"It is unacceptable and unAmerican that any taxpayer dollars are going to universities propping up their promulgation of antisemitism by supporting professors, students and staff many who have openly called for the genocide of Jews," the congresswoman said. 

"We will use every tool at our disposal to ensure that schools that protect and encourage antisemitism are cut off from any and all federal funds."

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Calls to "defund" colleges over their handling of antisemitism are growing among powerful voices outside Congress, as well.

In response to billionaire Harvard alum Bill Ackman announcing on X that Gay would not resign and Harvard's governing board would not fire her following her testimony, Elon Musk replied with the hashtag, "#DefundHarvard."