House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and top House Republicans called on Congress to cut off federal funding to universities that target Israel in an after-action report detailing the findings of their seven-month investigation into the surge of domestic antisemitism. 

One of the 11 policy recommendations made to Congress, the White House and the universities themselves in the report, released on Tuesday, states that the House and Senate “should pass legislation removing Title IV eligibility from any university that boycotts or divests from Israel.” 

Such legislation would ban any university that boycotts Israel from receiving federal funding.

Another recommendation calls on universities to “recognize that discrimination against ‘Zionists’ is an unacceptable antisemitic civil rights violation.”

“Across the nation, Jewish Americans have been harassed, assaulted, intimidated, and subjected to hostile environments — violations that stand in stark contrast to America’s fundamental values, including a foundational commitment to religious freedom for all,” the report reads.

“The Committees’ findings are alarming. For instance, some of our most prominent American universities refused to crack down on antisemitism,” it adds. “In fact, many colleges handed down disparate disciplinary actions for Jewish students versus their antagonists—the students who engaged in antisemitic behavior, encampments, and intimidating tactics such as campus checkpoints and tax-exempt organizations that enabled and funded violent campus protests, among other troubling findings.”

The claims about universities refusing to address antisemitism on campus are in line with what the House Education and Workforce Committee alleged in its report on antisemitism in higher education in October. 

The joint committee investigation also looked into antisemitism in federal agencies and programs, such as the foreign student visa program or the tax loopholes provided to nonprofit organizations and universities. In addition to Education and Workforce, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Judiciary Committee, Oversight Committee, Veterans’ Affairs Committee and Ways and Means Committee took part in the probe. 

The final report was authored by Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who chairs the House GOP Conference, and Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT), the vice chair of the conference. 

“Over the past seven months, these committees have done important work. They’ve heard from government agencies, students, and universities, and did a deep dive into the ways we can stop anti-Jewish hate. It’s our intent to take this report, its recommendations, and act,” Johnson said in a statement. “We’ll use what’s in here to continue protecting our Jewish brothers and sisters from discrimination and violence. But make no mistake, we will continue these efforts in the next Congress and anytime antisemitism rears its ugly head, the House will shine a light on it and take action.”

“On October 8th, the world saw that antisemitic hatred was alive and well at American institutions of so-called ‘higher’ education. As a result, the reputation of many of these schools has been in free fall. Stopping that free fall comes down to one word: accountability. We need accountability because without it, we cannot guarantee that Jewish students have the safe learning environment they deserve,” Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), who chairs the Education and Workforce Committee, said of the report. 

The report doesn’t make mention of the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which the House passed but appears unlikely to pass Congress before the end of the year. It also doesn’t make mention of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, which is controversial among far-right House Republicans, as well as progressives. 

It urges colleges to “recognize that discrimination against ‘Zionists’ is an unacceptable antisemitic civil rights violation,” making reference to a House resolution describing anti-Zionism as antisemitism.

Karen Paikin Barall, the vice president of government relations for the Jewish Federations of North America, praised House Republicans for taking initiative with the report.

“This report confirms much of what we already know – antisemitism is a major crisis on college campuses and within the healthcare system. It also pulls back the curtain and offers a behind-the-scenes look inside the halls where antisemitism runs rampant,” Paikin Barall said. “We applaud House leadership for publishing this report, which sheds light on this critical issue. To put a halt to this hatred, bipartisan collaboration along with public and private sector partners is essential. We look forward to working in the next Congress to confront this critical challenge.”