Bipartisan Bill Would Create ‘Antisemitism Monitors’ at College Campuses

A bill introduced in the House by Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) and Mike Lawler (R-NY) would create “antisemitism monitors” at colleges funded by the US federal government, a reaction to widespread pro-Palestinian demonstrations that have falsely been labeled antisemitic.

The protests against the US-backed Israeli slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza have led some members of Congress, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), to call for President Biden to send in the National Guard, and the prime minister of Israel has also called for a crackdown. The bill from Torres and Mawler takes a different approach to combat the protests.

According to a press release from Torres and Lawler, the legislation, known as the College Oversight and Legal Updates Mandating Bias Investigations and Accountability (COLUMBIA) Act, would “empower the federal Department of Education to impose a third-party antisemitism monitor on any college or university receiving federal funding.”