House members are taking steps to ensure that universities receiving federal funds are complying with civil rights laws amid a House-wide effort to crack down on antisemitism on college campuses. The Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Education and the Workforce sent a joint letter to the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on Wednesday asking whether there have been any complaints of 'unacceptable antisemitic behavior' from educational institutions receiving federal grants.
HHS awards federal funding to universities through National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants, which require that institutions receiving funding are free of discriminatory harassment, according to the NIH Grants Policy Statement. The concerns arise from the antisemitic behavior witnessed across college campuses, prompting the lawmakers to demand further action to ensure compliance with federal civil rights laws.
