Congressman Brandon Williams (R-New York) during a Congressional Roundtable on February 29th. Credit: Abhiram Juvvadi 
Members of the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee have introduced a bill that would make federal funding to higher education institutions conditional on free speech on campus.
Rep. Brandon Williams (RN.Y.), a 1998 Wharton MBA graduate, and committee chair Rep. Virginia Foxx (RN.C.) introduced the bill on March 15th. The bill was referred to the House by a vote of 24-14. If passed, the bill would require universities to disclose their speech, association, and religion policies in order to receive Title IV funding from the federal government.
“Americans' confidence in postsecondary education is at an all-time low, and rightfully so,” Williams and Foxx wrote in a joint statement March 15. “Several factors contribute to this national sentiment, but one of the most important is the inconsistency of educational institutions in protecting the First Amendment rights of students and faculty.”
A university spokesperson declined a request for comment.
In raising prices, Republicans cited the importance of protecting the First Amendment on college campuses, calling it “non-negotiable.”
“While we may often disagree sharply about different ideas on different topics, we should be able to agree on the value of ideas themselves, especially in the places where ideas matter most: higher education.” he said. Congressman Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.)
The bill also seeks to “affirm the rights of student organizations” on college campuses by protecting gay social groups, religious groups, and groups seeking funding or unable to find faculty sponsors. .
Rep. Kathy Manning (D.N.C.) said during the markup that she praised the committee's work in investigating anti-Semitism on college campuses, but that the proposed bill would do little to address such issues. said that it would be counterintuitive. She noted that in December 2023, the commission harshly criticized university presidents, including former University of Pennsylvania President Liz McGill, for failing to condemn calls for genocide.
He said the bill's support for institutional neutrality would prevent universities from taking a stand on issues.
“Unfortunately, this bill would actually protect the kind of extreme hate speech and rhetoric that we denounced in the now infamous hearing,” Manning said.
The bill comes amid an ongoing investigation of Penn by the Education and Labor Committee into the university's response to anti-Semitism on campus. In a Jan. 24 letter to Interim President Larry Jameson and University Board of Trustees Chairman Ramanan Raghavendran, Foxx wrote about his commitment to free speech: “Penn has shown a clear double standard.'' I am,” he wrote.
In response to The Daily Pennsylvanian's request for comment on the proposed bill, Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) said the rise in hate on college campuses “clearly calls for Congress to take action.” I'm looking for it,” he wrote.
“No student at the University of Pennsylvania or any school should ever feel unsafe on campus,” Casey wrote. “The events of the past few months have underscored the urgency of combating anti-Semitism and discrimination in all its forms, and I will continue to fight tooth and nail against the bigotry that plagues our world.”
During Thursday's deliberation, all 14 Democratic committee members in attendance voted against moving forward with the bill, while all 24 Republican committee members present voted in favor. Democratic committee leadership recommended that members vote against the bill.
Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) said in a statement to the DPP that the proposed bill is “not a real solution” to the problems facing college campuses, calling the bill “a misleading name. ” was criticized. Chu is a member of the Congressional Equality Caucus, which issued its own statement opposing the bill on Thursday.
“As a former college educator, I believe in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects the marketplace of ideas and prevents public funds from being funneled to organizations that blatantly discriminate against certain Americans.” he wrote.
Penn State has been the subject of multiple investigations over the past year regarding its response to anti-Semitism on campus. The House Ways and Means Committee also launched an investigation into Penn on January 10, questioning the university's tax-exempt status over a lack of support for Jewish students on campus.
The Department of Education launched its own investigation into anti-Semitism on November 16, 2023, but the investigation was later dismissed due to the existence of a lawsuit containing similar allegations.
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