McCollum Vote Against H.Res. 927
Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.Res. 927.
Let me be clear – I condemn antisemitism on our university and college campuses in the strongest possible terms. If I thought this resolution was a good faith effort to combat antisemitism, I’d support it. Regrettably, that is not the case.
Like many of my colleagues, I was disappointed by the testimony provided by the presidents of Harvard, MIT, and UPenn. Calling for genocide is dangerous and intolerable, and the presidents should have used their time in front of the Education and Workforce Committee to explicitly condemn attacks against the Jewish community and affirm their commitment to protecting Jewish and Arab students experiencing hate. Those private institutions are now deciding how to proceed with their leadership and make amends for their offensive statements.
This resolution does nothing to address the problem of antisemitism on campuses. Instead, House Republicans are once again using Jewish pain to score political points. There are many ways that Congress can address the rise in hate – for example, implementing President Biden’s National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. Or, instead of cutting $35 million from the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights that protects Jewish students on campus, they could join Democrats in fully funding the office. This resolution fails to do either, and instead of funding these important initiatives, the House Republican majority is continuing to hide behind empty words – and actions speak louder than words. I uphold the comments made by my colleague, The Honorable Jamie Raskin (MD-08) made on the House Floor on December 13, 2023.*
For these reasons, I must oppose the resolution. Thank you, and I yield back.