Senate moves to pass contentious antisemitism bill targeting anti-Israel activity on campuses

By Jacob Kornbluh
November 15, 2024

The Senate is set to advance a bipartisan, but contentious, bill aimed at addressing rising antisemitism on colleges and universities in the coming weeks during the lame-duck session, a spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Friday. 

The Antisemitism Awareness Act, passed in the House in May by an overwhelming majority of 320-91, would require the Department of Education to use the controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism — which classifies most anti-Zionism as antisemitic — when investigating allegations of discrimination. Some top Democrats and Jewish advocacy groups objected to the bill, worrying it could suppress constitutionally protected free speech on campuses and stifle legitimate criticism of Israel. 

“As he always said he would,” Angelo Roefaro, a Schumer spokesperson said, the Democratic leader offered on Thursday to add the legislation to the National Defense Authorization Act – which must pass by year’s end – in his negotiations with congressional leaders. “The GOP is taking a look at his request,” Roefaro said. 

The Senate had not scheduled a vote for the Antisemitism Awareness Act due to ongoing discussions between Republicans and Democrats about the best route for passage. Schumer also faced resistance from some in his caucus. Democrats suggested prioritizing another bipartisan bill, called the Countering Antisemitism Act, which would implement the outgoing Biden administration’s national strategy to counter antisemitism and does not endorse a single definition. But that never came up for a House vote.

Rep. Mike Lawler, a Republican from New York who introduced the Antisemitism Awareness Act, welcomed the development and said Schumer finally “succumbed to pressure” from mainstream Jewish groups and members of Congress to move the bill forward. “Jewish students cannot afford to wait any longer for their safety to be protected on campus,” Lawler said. “It is long past time to get the Antisemitism Awareness Act across the finish line.”

The Florence Avenue Initiative, an anonymous group, spent millions of dollars over the summer on an advertising campaign blasting Schumer for failing to bring the Antisemitism Awareness Act to a vote.

In remarks on the Senate Floor on Wednesday, Schumer said, “Universities are supposed to be places where people can learn and grow and argue in peace and security. No student – or staff or faculty member — should ever have to worry about looking over their shoulder walking through campus.”