1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

The House's passage of H.R. 6090, the Antisemitism Awareness Act, poses a grave threat to free speech rights on college campuses. This misguided bill would effectively equate criticism of Israel with antisemitic discrimination, leading to the censorship of political speech under the guise of addressing antisemitism. Federal law already prohibits antisemitic discrimination and harassment by federally funded entities, rendering this legislation unnecessary for protecting Jewish students. Moreover, the Supreme Court has affirmed that the First Amendment protections apply with full force on college campuses. By directing the Department of Education to consider an overly broad definition of antisemitism that encompasses protected political speech, this bill risks chilling campus discourse and undermining robust academic freedom. I urge you to reject this dangerous legislation that sacrifices constitutional rights in a purported effort to combat bigotry. Addressing antisemitism is crucial, but suppressing free speech is antithetical to cherished American values and will only breed further division.