Legislation targeting harassment of Jewish students at higher education institutions will likely reach the U.S. House floor by May, intensifying the broader crackdown on antisemitism by the Trump administration.
The Republican-led Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will vote on the Protecting Students on Campus Act and the Antisemitism Awareness Act on April 30.
As reported by The Center Square, the Protecting Students on Campus Act would require universities to communicate to students how to file civil rights complaints and mandate universities to report the number of civil rights complaints they receive, as well as actions taken to address those complaints.
The Antisemitism Awareness Act would clarify the definition of antisemitism for use in campus investigations, instructing the U.S. Department of Education to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism.
The IHRA’s definition reads: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
Since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct.7, 2023, violent pro-Palestinian protests have broken out at higher education institutions across the country, including at Harvard, UCLA, and Columbia campuses.
A hearing held by the HELP Committee in March highlighted the trend, but Republicans and Democrats have disagreed over the correct balance between protecting academic freedom and free speech with Jewish students’ safety, as The Center Square reported.
Since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term in office, the administration has launched a full-scale effort to quash antisemitism. Ten days after assuming office, Trump issued an executive order to revoke student visas for any foreign students engaging in illegal protests.
Over the past few weeks, Harvard University has been embroiled in a funding battle with the Trump administration for refusing to implement certain policies combating antisemitism, among other things. In response, the U.S. Department of Education froze $2.2 billion in funding going to the school.
The Department of Homeland Security and the Internal Revenue Service have also exerted pressure on the school.
The U.S. Department of Justice also recently announced it is sending a Federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism to 10 universities across the country, including Harvard, as The Center Square reported. In 2024 alone, nearly 1,700 antisemitic incidents occurred on college campuses, 84% higher than in 2023, according to a report released by the Anti-Defamation League.
