WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — Amid nationwide protests against the ongoing war in Gaza, the U.S. House of Representatives is poised to take up legislation that could make some speech on college campuses punishable.
The “Antisemitism Awareness Act” could be taken up in the chamber as soon as next week. The bill was initially written in a bipartisan manner back in October following Hamas’ deadly incursion into Israel that killed about 1,200 Israelis.
The bill, if it were to become law, could dramatically redefine what can be incorporated under the blanket of antisemitic acts of harassment.
The definition of “antisemitism” would change to include denying Jewish “self-determination to their ancestral homeland of Israel.” It would also include holding Jews collectively responsible for the actions of the Israeli government.
That would mean language used in certain protest chants on college campuses could be punishable under federal anti-discrimination law.
The bill comes in the wake of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., going to Columbia University in dramatic fashion and addressing some of the protesters directly to a sea of boos and jeers. He said universities may lose federal funding if they can’t control the protests.
“The House has been investigating a number of these campuses. There is a nexus to federal funding,” he said. “If these campuses cannot get control of this problem, they do not deserve taxpayer dollars.”