After the presidents of Harvard, UPenn, and MIT failed to share whether calling for the genocide of Jews would violate university standards, the House of Representatives passed a bipartisan resolution condemning their testimonies.
The measure also called for the remaining university presidents to resign (UPenn’s Elizabeth Magill stepped down on Saturday). The resolution passed by a tally of 303-126.
Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY) – A Harvard alumna – led the charge in not only initially questioning the presidents, but also in promoting the writing and promoting the resolution.
She posted on social media following the measure’s passage.
The passage of my resolution marks a historic bipartisan effort to stand for moral truth. The world is watching as Members from both sides of the aisle stand resolutely with the Jewish people to condemn antisemitism on university campuses and the morally bankrupt testimony of the…
— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) December 13, 2023
“The passage of my resolution marks a historic bipartisan effort to stand for moral truth. The world is watching as Members from both sides of the aisle stand resolutely with the Jewish people to condemn antisemitism on university campuses and the morally bankrupt testimony of the Harvard, MIT, and Penn university presidents during last week’s House Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing,” said Rep. Stefanik. “It is disappointing and revealing that 128 Democrats chose to vote against condemning antisemitism on college campuses and the pathetic and abhorrent testimony of the university presidents.”
Before the resolution’s passage, Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) said the university presidents “failed the test” during their testimony on Capitol Hill.
“These are Ivy League university presidents that were asked a softball question: ‘Does calling for the genocide of Jews count as harassment under their school’s policies?’ That’s not a trick question, and it’s infuriating that these leaders of young people would try to equivocate with some nonsense about ‘it depends on the context.’ Sub out Jews for any other persecuted minority group and they would never have given that answer. They failed the test, and just like their students there are no makeups,” said Rep. Moskowitz.
Majority Leader and former Speaker of the House nominee Steve Scalise (R-LA) said that the testimonies given demonstrated “moral bankruptcy” at the highest levels of academia.
“The abject failure of these presidents to defend even the most basic of human rights – the right to exist – against hypocritical wokeism exposed the moral bankruptcy at these elite universities to the world,” said Majority Leader Steve Scalise. “We must, as a nation, stand united with the Jewish people and Jewish students who no longer feel safe in the United States or on our campuses against the hateful antisemitism they are facing today. We must stand up for what is right.”
All four members of “The Squad” (AOC, Tlaib, Omar, Pressley) voted against the resolution.
