The subcommittee on early childhood, elementary, and secondary education will come to order. I note that a quorum is present. Without objection, the chair is authorized to call recess at any time. Good morning. Over the past two years, the Committee on Education and Workforce has been instrumental in investigating the horrifying rise in antisemitism at universities across the country. Following this committee's oversight, several prominent university presidents have stepped down, and we have seen important reforms at leading institutions. Progress, however, remains uneven.
And far too many Jewish students continue to face discrimination, harassment, and civil rights violations at universities across the country. This jarring state of affairs is unfortunately not limited to higher education. Anti Semitism is also a growing problem in our k 12 education system. At some schools in my home state, California, the anti Semitic environment is so hostile that Jewish children are withdrawing and transferring to other schools. Even the California Department of Education has found ethnic studies curricula to be antisemitic in
multiple school districts. As with higher education, there are clear factors driving antisemitism in k 12 schools. Today's hearing will address these underlying causes. First, teachers colleges increasingly prime faculty to see themselves as activists rather than educators, prioritizing divisive ideologies and casting Israel as an oppressor, instead of focusing on preparing future teachers. Second, local and national teachers unions abuse their monopolies to put anti Semitic activism into action.
Take the National Education Association, for example, which the committee recently announced it will investigate. The NEA uses its position as the largest union in the country to spread anti Semitism nationwide. In July, its representative assembly unbelievably voted to ban one of the nation's premier antisemitism watchdogs, the Anti Defamation League. Third, an expansive network of outside groups partners with school districts to promote the use of instructional material that traffics in antisemitic tropes.
Such groups often advance foreign interests in an anti Israel agenda. These driving factors incite severe discrimination against Jewish students and teachers, forcing many to move schools to avoid being targeted by their peers and colleagues. Administrative malaise or even prejudice at the school school, district, and state level has allowed antisemitism to fester and even become normalized. Many of the incidents documented by our witnesses today truly shock the conscience.
I will tell you that I have also met, personally with, many students in our K-twelve system, who have had to live through things that we would never have imagined in this country. Outright discrimination. Sometimes, you know, the discrimination and the the bigotry, is couched, cloaked in in simply, you know, anti Israel rhetoric or in other tropes. Sometimes it's just outright, undisguised antisemitism that they are confronted with as they're just going
about their lives trying to get an education in our public school system. This disgraceful reality that we are faced with, that one of the world's most ancient retrograde prejudices has deeply infected our public education system, demands decisive action. We must use every tool available to protect students across America and to stop poisonous ideologies from corrupting their schooling. My colleagues and I are committed to understanding why antisemitism has gone unchecked at the
k 12 lever level and to ensuring a safe learning environment for Jewish students. I look forward to hearing the testimony of our witnesses today as it will certainly inform this committee's ongoing work. And with that, I'll turn to the ranking member for an opening statement. Thank you very much much, mister chairman. Thank you to the witnesses. We can all agree that schools are responsible for creating safe learning environments for students, teachers, and faculty, free from discrimination, harassment, and violence. There is no question that anti Semitic acts of harassment and intimidation have increased, especially
since 10/07/2023. And as I've said repeatedly in this committee, we must do more. But this is now the eleventh hearing we've had on anti Semitism in the past few years, and what has happened? Are things better? No. Anti Semitism is on the rise, and tensions and divisions have increased. As the mother of Jewish children, I know and understand that we can and must do more to protect Jewish students and Jewish Americans who are threatened, harassed, and attacked
because of who they are. But once again, I do not see the work of this committee as productive in accomplishing the stated goal. Today's hearing and multiple past hearings have been used to attack schools and their leaders and educators rather than to have a substantive discussion about how to curb antisemitism. Some on this committee recently belittled and shamed the now former president of Northwestern University, Michael Schill, a descendant of Holocaust survivors. This was personal, beyond policy differences. They gloated when he resigned, excuse me, and that does not stop the spread of
antisemitism. One of our strongest tools is the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Education. OCR is dedicated to investigating and resolving civil rights violations, including anti Semitic instances at schools and universities. But the Trump administration fired almost half of OCR staff and closed seven of their 12 regional offices. Instead of offering real solutions, Republicans employ antisemitism as an excuse to turn our nation's civil rights laws upside down and undermine public education. We have seen this most prominently with higher education, and it is clear the committee
is now seeking to do the same thing to our local public elementary, middle, and high schools. The reality is that the Trump administration and congressional Republicans are using the real plight of Jewish students experiencing antisemitism to destabilize institutions they don't approve of, whether institutions of higher education or teachers' unions. And if you wonder why, here's a quote from the Academy magazine last spring. Quote, Donald Trump is coming for America's universities and higher education workers for the same
reason that Benito Mussolini demanded loyalty oaths in 1931, and Viktor Orban launched a vicious smear campaign against Hungary's premier university in 2019. Our commitment to open inquiry over propaganda, to persuasion over coercion, and to democracy over dictatorship provides a check on authoritarian rule. And I will add that all of this is happening while Republicans in congress continue to refuse to address the anti Semitic cancer that is metastasizing in their own party,
including in the Trump White House and against the backdrop of the promotion of white Christian nationalists into key government roles. I have consistently called out the multiple Trump White House officials with ties to anti Semitic extremists, but my colleagues have not, including the liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, the communications director for the Office of Management and Budget, the deputy press secretary of the Department of Defense who posted Nazi slogans on her social media accounts and promoted the anti Semitic great replacement conspiracy theory.
The leader of president Trump's anti Semitism task force agreed that the president could revoke someone's Jew card and shared a post on social media from the formerly former leader of a white supremacist group or, organization that called for the quote, Nazification of America. The current White House deputy chief of staff for policy, Stephen Miller, is known as a racist and a white nationalist. The rabbinical assembly called for his firing during the first Trump administration because of his white supremacist views, and so did 25 Jewish members of congress who wrote these hateful
views, have no place in our government, much less steps from the Oval Office. At this time of rising antisemitism, xenophobia, racism, and white supremacy, we must forcefully call out and refuse to accept intolerance or hate anywhere within our government. And now Stephen Miller has far reaching influence in the White House. In an interview, president Trump said that it would be a downgrade if he appointed Stephen Miller as national security adviser, instead saying that Stephen is much higher on the
totem pole than that. Mister chairman, you just criticized the trafficking of anti Semitic tropes, and you said to use every tool possible. What will truly help Jewish students and Jewish Americans will be to determine why the Trump administration has been infiltrated by white nationalists and anti Semites, and to ascertain their reasoning for demand dismantling the office of civil rights. Defunding universities and undermining public schools will hurt students, Jewish and other, instead of providing
them a safe place to learn. If this committee truly cares about Jewish students and fighting antisemitism, We do have an obligation. We have an obligation to, as the chairman said, use every tool possible and to exert our full authority. So therefore, mister chairman, I move that the subcommittee on early childhood, elementary, and secondary education subpoenas Stephen n Miller, White House deputy chief of staff to policy, to be to come before this committee as a witness no later than thirty days from the date of adoption of this motion to answer for the Trump administration's anti Semitic actions
and to answer for defunding the Department of Education's Office of Civil Right, which will exacerbate anti Semitism at our nation's schools. General Eddy has made a motion to authorize a subpoena in accordance with rule 11, clause two k six of rules of the house of representatives. That motion will be held in advance, and we will continue. I look forward to the discussion on the motion, and I yield back. I will now introduce our witnesses. Our first witness is, sorry, actually. Before I do that, pursuant to committee rule eight c, all members who wish to insert written statements into the record may do so by submitting them to the committee
clerk electronically in Microsoft Word format by 5PM, fourteen days after this hearing. And without objection, the hearing record will remain open for fourteen days to allow such statements and other extraneous material noted during the hearing to be submitted for the official hearing record. I know that some of our colleagues who are not permanent members of this subcommittee may be joining us at today's hearing, and I will now introduce our witnesses. Our first witness is miss Nicole Neely, the president and the founder of Defending Education in Washington DC. Our second witness is Brandy, Shufitinski, the director of education and national security at the
Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, DC. Our third witness is Rabbi Jill Jacobs, the CEO of Teruah, the rabbinic call for human rights in New York, New York. And our fur fourth witness is miss Rachel Lerman, the vice chair and director of appeals and critical motions at the Louis d Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law in Los Angeles, California. We thank the witnesses for, being here today, and we look forward to your testimony. Pursuant to committee rules, I would ask that you each limit your oral presentation to
a three minute summary of your written statement. As committee members have many questions for you, the clock will count down from three minutes. However, pursuant to committee rule eight d and committee practice, we will not cut you off your testimony until you reach the five minute mark. I'd also like to remind the witnesses to be aware of their responsibility to provide accurate information to the subcommittee. I will first recognize miss Neely for your testimony. Chairman Kiley, ranking member Bonamici, and distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for inviting me. We all saw what happened at universities following October 7. Less well known, though, is how k to 12 schools across the country have faced
similar problems. Discrimination and harassment based on national origin or shared ancestry is never acceptable. But when directed at minor children who are unable to defend themselves, it is particularly vile. Yet frighteningly, our our country's learners are now being taught the world's oldest hatred by the very people entrusted to shape young minds. Many teachers today are activists. In most states, aspiring teachers must obtain credentials through education schools before entering the classroom. However, America's schools of education now instruct teachers to view the world through an oppressor oppressed matrix in which inconvenient minorities like Jews and Asians are categorized as oppressors, that
teaching is a political act, and that the job is to cultivate social justice activists and change agents. It's little wonder that our children are being used as foot soldiers to avenge perceived historical injustices. Unions are manipulating teachers. Activists have spent the last decade infiltrating the nation's two largest teachers unions to enlist them in the fight against Israel, an effort that has yielded significant dividends. Unions have served as a super highway to disseminate Jew hatred for years with support for antisemitic resolutions coordinated through special interest caucuses like Educators for Palestine. In July, NEA members voted to sever ties with the Anti Defamation League at their
annual meeting, only walking back the vote following massive backlash. This is an issue not only at the national level, but also state and local. Back in 2021, unions in LA and San Francisco both voted on BDS resolutions. More recently, the Massachusetts Teachers Association has obsessed over Israel, voting on several anti Israel resolutions, hosting multiple webinars on the topic and promoting biased resources. Activist networks create an echo chamber. Classroom antisemitism is reinforced by outside activist networks like the Arab Resource Organizing Center or AROC, which currently has a memorandum of understanding with San Francisco Unified to provide workshops
and classrooms focused on cultural empowerment. AROC regularly leads disruptive pro Palestine protests shutting down the Bay Bridge in 2023 and occupying senator Alex Padilla's office two weeks ago. And groups like BLM at School and the Middle Eastern Children's Alliance provide teachers with lessons and activities that can be incorporated into the school day. Accordingly, teachers spread biased information. In classrooms, an alarming number of teachers have exploited their authority over students to teach a one-sided version of the conflict to captive audiences of minors, demonizing Israel and pressuring student newspapers to even alter coverage of the war.
Others have tried to influence coworkers, lobbying peers to donate to Hamas linked charities and confronting colleagues with differing views. Administrative inaction encourages bad behavior. Sadly, anti Jewish incidents haven't been adjudicated with the same determination as similar acts committed against other ethnic groups, sending a clear message to students and families that not all individuals are valued equally. Districts avoided making public statements after ten seven, unlike the way they did after the death of George Floyd and the in Atlantic spa the Atlanta spa spa shooting. Other districts simply swept problems under the rug. In California's Sequoia Union District, the school dismissed swastikas at a school as mere Buddhist
religious symbols. Pro Palestinian walkouts frequently facilitated by administrators were tolerated at a time when walkouts on other issues would be punished, demonstrating a clear viewpoint discrimination issue. K to 12 antisemitism is now a self perpetuating ecosystem, and pupils are paying the price. Although it won't be easy to address this problem, identifying the root causes and vectors is a critical first step because American children deserve an education free from bias, and Jewish students deserve an education free from harassment so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it interferes with their learning.
Thank you. Thank you very much. I'll next recognize doctor, Shufatinski for your testimony. Chairman Riley, vice chair Miller, ranking member Bonamici, members of the subcommittee, on behalf of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies program Thank you. On behalf of the Foundation for Defense of Democracy's program on education and national security, thank you for the opportunity to testify. The sharp rise of antisemitism in our nation's universities and K through 12 schools, those
sparked by the terrorist attacks of 10/07/2023, is part of an upsurge that has been many years in coming. Elected officials and community leaders have started to address the problem in educational settings and materials, but there is considerable amount of work to still be done. FDD's Education and National Security Program is researching root causes, which include domestic malign actors and foreign funding. We have started to uncover some disturbing findings. There are multiple ways that anti Jewish and anti American ideology is becoming institutionalized in
k through 12 education, including teacher training programs, foreign funded materials, radical union members, and curriculum development organizations. FDD has found foreign funding going directly to developing curriculum and k through 12 teachers' salaries in multiple states. Multiple public school districts receive funds from Qatari Foundation International, an instrument of the Qatari Royal Family that is somehow able to operate as a five zero one c three nonprofit in The United States outside of foreign agent registration act regulations.
Outside organizations frequently partner with school districts to provide teacher training and curriculum development. This has opened the door for maligned domestic actors, such as the Arab Resource and Organizing Committee, known by its acronym AROC. In 2023, AROC not only provided teacher training, but also direct services to students in San Francisco's public schools. On October 7, on its Instagram page, this organization endorsed the kidnapping, rape, torture, and murder of 1,200 Israelis calling for a protest in front of the Israeli embassy on
October 8. Within two weeks, AROC had produced a toolkit guide for k through 12 students on how to conduct student walkouts. AROC is but one of many maligned domestic actors that have ties to US designated foreign terrorist organizations that are developing curriculum for children as young as kindergarten. Our research has also found universities to be a source that spreads anti Jewish bias materials into k through 12 schools because they train teachers and develop programs and curriculum. For example, the University of California at Santa Cruz works closely with the Liberated Ethnic
Studies Coalition, a group that celebrated October 7, to introduce anti Jewish curriculum into California schools through the new ethnic studies mandate. The connections between universities and k through 12 school districts must not be ignored. FDD has uncovered evidence that the nation's largest teachers unions, such as the United Teachers Los Angeles, are perpetuating anti Zionism and antisemitism in our schools. Across the nation, groups that are hostile to the Jewish state and even to the Jewish people have found multiple avenues of influence through which they can quietly shape our
education system. The most pressing need right now is for transparency, so that parents and their elected representatives can see what is taught in children's classrooms, who is providing it, and who is paying for it. Thank you again for the opportunity to testify, and I look forward to your questions. Thanks very much. I'll next recognize Rabbi Rabbi Jacobs for your testimony. Thank you, chairman Kiley and ranking member Bonamici, for the opportunity to testify before you today. I'm rabbi Jill Jacobs, the CEO of Trua. There had been a call for human rights, which represents more than 2,300 rabbis and cantors who serve Jewish communities in 47 states.
We work to advance democracy and human rights. I'm also a graduate of public schools and the parent of two public school students. Rabbis are on the front lines of fighting antisemitism in schools, both supporting families and bringing issues to school officials. They know the pain of Jewish children who have encountered swastikas graffitied on school property and more, and classmates who are performing Nazi salutes, and they've heard their peers mocking the murders of Israeli Jews. Most most school professionals are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of Jewish students, but antisemitism permeates our society today just as it has in so many places for
more than two thousand years. Schools as well as workplaces, political arenas, and professional associations are not immune. The response must be education, not punishment. So my message is simple. Anti Semitism in schools is serious. We have a responsibility to ensure that Jewish students and all students are safe. Unfortunately, congress and this administration are taking a dangerous and wrong headed approach that subordinates the needs of Jewish students to a political agenda. Half a year into this administration, the evidence is clear that our government is more focused on defunding public education, weakening labor unions and philanthropies, and cracking down on immigrants
than on keeping Jewish children or adults safe. The Jewish community has spoken loud and clear. In April, a survey of US Jews showed that the majority disapprove of the administration's approach to antisemitism. Our community is pained that this administration is cynically using our fears as justification for dismantling the very democratic institutions and protections that have kept Jews safe. Federal action this year mirrors Project Esther, a plan developed by the Heritage Foundation without participation by Jewish organizations or antisemitism experts and which wrongly frames the core institutions of
liberal democracy as a threat to Jews and to American civilization. If we really wanna put student safety first, we need to invest in the following. First, education. We can't just punish or sanction our way out of this problem. We need schools to be better equipped to teach about and respond to antisemitism. Vilifying our teachers, our school systems, and teachers' unions, or cutting public education funding doesn't do anything to help Jewish children or teachers. Second, prevention. Congress should urge the administration to restore the hate crime prevention and response program it authorized.
This administration has eliminated virtually every prevention tool, including $46,000,000 in hate crime prevention grants. The nonprofit security grants program is important, but our children need a better plan for their security than bulletproof glass and barricades. Third, democracy. Jews are terrified about the erosion of our constitutional rights, including freedom of speech, worship and association, and due process. These are the rights that have allowed us to flourish and to be safe in The United States. Fourth, inclusion and equity. Jews need programs to promote inclusion and respect for all groups.
The assault on diversity, equity, inclusion ultimately doesn't increase Jewish safety, especially not for Jews who are also people of color, disabled, or transgender. These programs must better serve Jews, not be eliminated. Fifth, protection for all students. The administration's singular focus on antisemitism to the exclusion of other forms of bigotry singles out Jewish students. Some have expressed fear that they will be scapegoated for harsh measures taken in their name. Finally, I implore you to lead by example and speak out against the admin against antisemitism. This administration and members of Congress must take the same stand in antisemitism that they're
asking of schools, universities, unions, and other entities. An administration truly dedicated to Jewish protection would not be inhabited by cabinet members and staff who openly espouse anti Semitic and other bigoted beliefs, some of whom have ties to to neo Nazi and white supremacist organizations. Nor would an administration committed to fighting anti Semitism have part in the January six insurrectionists, many of whom promote antisemitic conspiracies. And an administration committed to fighting antisemitism would not have dismantled the Office for Civil Rights, the only office with the expertise and mandate to investigate instances of antisemitism and
other bias in schools and universities, nor would such an administration be breaking down the separation of church and state and encouraging the imposition of Christianity in schools. We need solutions that protect Jewish students and the democratic institutions that make it possible for Jews and other minorities to flourish in our country. Thank you for your attention, and I look forward to answering your questions. Thanks very much. And lastly, missus Lipporman, you're recognized for your testimony. Thank you. Good morning, chairman Riley. Talk button. Chairman Riley, ranking member Bonamici, and members of the House Education and Workforce Committee, I'm
honored to appear before you to address the rising antisemitism in our k through 12 schools. I'm the vice chair of the Louis d Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, which I joined as a full time lawyer after almost three decades in private practice as an appellate lawyer. I'm testifying on behalf of the Brandeis Center to tell you that real children in k 12 schools are being harassed, excluded, and silenced just for being Jewish or because bullies think they are Jewish. This has to stop. A lot of attention has been focused on antisemitism in higher ed, as you mentioned.
I'm here to tell you that the problem in k twelve is even larger. Thanks to antisemitic messaging by teachers and third party contractors like ARAC and Liberated Ethnic Studies Coalition, Jewish students in k twelve schools are being bullied and shunned by their peers solely because of their Jewish heritage and their connection to Israel, the homeland of the Jewish people. No child should have to hide their identity or endure harassment because of their identity in an American school. As you know, title six protects Jewish students who are targeted on the basis of
their Jewish ethnic identity in both college and in k 12. Executive order, for combating antisemitism that was, issued in 2019, EO one three eight eight eight nine nine confirms this. It also requires agencies that apply title six to consider the Ira definition of antisemitism when they analyze allegations of antisemitism. Ira is clear that criticism of government policies, Israel's government policies just like that leveled
at any other country is not antisemitic. But demonizing the Jewish state, saying it has no right to exist, or using a double standard might well be. Let me say a word about teachers unions, which play a very significant role in bringing antisemitic and anti Israel content into the classroom. The unions indoctrinate school teachers inviting them to participate in events celebrating the October seven massacre. Celebrating. One teacher, that I work with resigned from the union after receiving this bulletin which went to all teachers in San Francisco and he has since, been attacked by the
union as a result. According to the union sorry. Teachers who resigned from the union are disloyal to their colleagues and are freeloading. Unions in California and Massachusetts, among others, create and provide teachers with instructional materials that teach hate. For example, teachers are instructed to tell young children that a group of bullies called Zionists stole Palestinian land by force.
They even provide coloring books telling very young children to draw Zionist leaders taking money to harm Palestinians. The message is clear. Zionists are evil and Jews who do not renounce their religious or ethnic allegiance to the state of Israel are also evil. So it's no surprise that Jewish teachers and students are shunned by their peers or that Jewish students are bullied to the point that their families are moving them out of their public schools. I urge this committee and Congress to act decisively to ensure that our civil rights
laws are enforced, that schools are held accountable, and that every child in America is able to learn in an environment free from fear and hostility. Thank you. Thank you very much for your testimony. Under committee rule nine, we'll now question witnesses under the five minute rule. I'll first recognize the chairman of the full committee, mister Wahlberg of Michigan, for five minutes. Thank you, mister chairman, and thanks to the panel for being here. Let me make a couple comments initially as, coming from what I've heard. I I I respect highly, and, appreciate, my Democrat colleagues or Democratic colleagues, proper term.
And I understand that the rhetoric at times is talking a game that they're expected to talk by, sadly, the radical base. But do during this past their past opportunity and majority, these issues that they're expressing concern that we aren't dealing with, and yes, we are, weren't addressed, including the feckless Office of Civil Rights, who weren't doing their job. And, probably could have continued to do what they haven't done, except for the fact
that October 7 exposed the antisemitic rot within our graves of academe, our higher education institutions. COVID helped to expose multiple concerns in our k twelve classrooms as parents, for the first time, in many cases, got a chance to see what was happening or not happening in their school classrooms. And so the, luxury of having served on this committee now in into my seventeenth year allows me to look at back historically and say, this is why it's finally
come to a head and we have to deal with this. And the first aspect is exposing what's going on so we can take action, and we will continue. As our committee dives deeper into oversight of antisemitism in k 12 schools, it'd be helpful to get a clearer picture of the most problematic districts in this space. Miss Luhrmann, in in your view, which school districts are the worst actors when it comes to failing to address or even encouraging antisemitism? Turn on my machine. Let me preface by saying that I live in Los Angeles and am most aware
of what's happening in California. The Brandeis Center is centered in Washington DC and has offices in New York, but, I am seeing in California, particularly in the Bay Area, in San Francisco, in Oakland, in Berkeley, some really alarming, things. I'm aware of schools in Massachusetts and Philadelphia that are also experiencing similar things, and we, have are taking action in New York against Origins School which also has very
severe problems. K. Doctor Shufatinski, and miss Neely, given the work you've done on all across the country, are there any school districts you would add and highlight to this list? Yes. San Diego, Philadelphia, New York City Public Schools, Chicago. Miss Neely? Montgomery County, Maryland, and Fairfax County Public Schools come to mind in the immediate region. Thank you. Our committee has conducted extensive oversight into antisemitism in higher education. Miss Neely, can you please describe whether universities are contributing to antisemitism in the k
12 space specifically? And if so, how? University created curriculums are problematic because they give the imprimatur of legitimacy. As chairman Kiley knows, you looked extensively into the Brown University's choices program. That is assumed to be beyond reproach because of Brown University's reputation itself. But that program was underwritten by the Cutter Foundation and is full of historical distortions about the state of Israel. That is only one of many, but universities are are are giving the impression that these programs are completely legitimate and acceptable. Thank you. Doctor Sufotinski, and, miss Lerman, did did do you wanna add anything about how antisemitism
in higher education is contributing to the, to the rot in in developing the public schools in k 12? Yes. I'm I can give a really good example. So University of California Santa Cruz has a has a critical race and ethnic studies department that is a direct funnel of their graduates into the k to 12 public school system. And because of the mandate, the requirement for students in California to take an ethnic studies class to graduate, it's making these teachers, these new graduates, the the the leaders in these k through 12 classrooms.
And we look at the curriculum that they're creating, it's not just anti Israel and anti Jewish, it's anti American. And it's calling for students to commit to engaging in activism rather than scholarship. Thank you. And and, miss Berman, I'm sure you would add more, but my time has expired, and I've gotta abide by the rules. I yield back. Ranking member Bonnie Michie of Oregon is recognized. Thank you, mister chairman. Rabbi Jacobs, you said in your testimony that if we fight antisemitism in ways that only divide Jews and their neighbors, we are only isolating Jews in ways that so greater division and that ultimately make Jews less safe.
Is the Trump administration's approach the best way to reduce antisemitism in schools? And if not, what would be more effective? Thank you. Jews have found success and have flourished and found safety in this country because it's a liberal democracy with strong protections for the rights of both individuals and groups, including religious groups and different ethnic groups. Something that I've heard very often from students is that the Trump administration's hyperfocus on antisemitism is actually marginalizing Jewish students and that many Jewish students are afraid that the
attacks, for example, on universities, the defunding of medical research in the name of fighting antisemitism, which does nothing, of course, to fight antisemitism, only serves to further marginalize Jewish students. And what we need is a comprehensive approach that is going to protect the rights of all students. Unfortunately, instead, the Trump administration is trying to dismantle democracy and as we've already heard, including eviscerating the Office for Civil Rights, which is the office that has both the mandate and also the expertise to address instances of antisemitism and other bias.
Thank you. Just a couple days ago, a US senator, a Republican US senator said America is a white homeland. So so, Rabbi, are the policies of the Trump administration and statements like that, the policies like mass deportation, repealing environmental protections, promoting white Christian nationalist ideas and individuals, are those consistent with Jewish values? These policies are absolutely not consistent with Jewish values. Judaism has a thousands year old history that is based around figuring out how to
create a system and a society that is just for everybody. And, unfortunately, the Trump administration's attacks on immigrants' gutting of social services means that this country is no longer able to serve the needs of everybody, and we find that many members of our own society are are being marginalized. And the Jewish community has been very outspoken for many, many years, hundreds years, defending the rights of immigrants, defending the rights of those who are in need, defending, of course, public education. And, Rabbi, we know that this country was founded on freedom of religion.
So when we see this administration flouting the US constitution, we see people being picked up without due process off the streets, what is what message does that send to the Jewish community? Well, this sends a message that the administration is not actually concerned with what the Jewish community is saying that it wants and what Jewish leaders are asking for, including this this administration's attack on the separation of church and state will certainly result in the imposition of a certain type of Christianity in schools in a way that only
makes Jewish students less safe. We heard this even earlier this week in the president's remarks at the Museum of the Bible saying that he wants to bring more religion into school, which certainly will be Christianity. And that, of course, makes Jewish students and student other students who are not Christian less safe in their schools. Absolutely. And then the remaining time, Rabbi, will you please tell us about Project Esther, which you mentioned in your written testimony? Who wrote it? What are the consequences if its policies are implemented? Project Esther is a plan that was written by the Heritage Foundation without participation of
Jewish organizations or of experts on antisemitism. And it purports to be about addressing antisemitism, but actually, it casts many or most of the institutions of liberal democracy as antisemitic and sets out a plan for dismantling them. And, bizarrely, it even criticizes the Jewish community for its for for its approach to anti Semitism and its supposed complacency on anti Semitism. So instead of addressing the issues that the Jewish community is actually bringing to the
table, Project Esther is all about dismantling democracy. And, unfortunately, the this administration seems to be following that plan laid out by the Heritage Foundation rather than what Jewish leaders and Jewish communities are asking for. Thank you. And and, Rabbi, we have seen, particularly in in this administration, a lot of disparaging remarks, a lot of hate speech. How does that affect the Jewish community when we see a presidential administration, dividing rather than, you said, prioritizing education to address antisemitism?
It certainly sends a message that this administration is not interested in the safety of Jews or of other communities. Certainly when there's people in the administration who have ties to neo Nazis and white supremacists, that doesn't make the Jewish community feel any safer. Understand. And I have a pretty long list of those, but I didn't read them all Yeah. In my statement. Thank you, and I yield back. Mister Harris of North Carolina is recognized. Thank you, mister chairman. And, thanks to all of you on the panel for, being a part of this today. Very important, important theme that, we're talking about.
Let let me just say, miss Neely, in your view, which local or national unions have been the most problematic in terms of spreading anti Semitic course content and indoctrinating teachers? We're gonna need more than five minutes. I would start with the NEA. As we talked about their annual meeting this summer, aside from their ADL vote, they were mocking, threatening, and harassing Jewish delegates. They denied a speaker the opportunity to recognize the fiftieth anniversary of the Jewish Affairs Caucus and actually laughed and clapped when a when the death of a Holocaust survivor in Boulder was mentioned.
But going back as far as 2018, annual meeting resolutions condemned USAID to Israel, talking about apartheid, atrocities, and gross violations of human rights. Their handbook talks about using digital communications to educate members on anti Zionism and antisemitism, and has downplayed the Holocaust targeting of Jews, framing it as just a bigger struggle. So that's really, you know, dehumanizing that. And then, of course, the educators for Palestine caucus, but the UFT in New York is also awful. The Portland Association of Teachers. I mean, we could be here all day, sir. Well, listen. I I agree with you.
And, the largest teachers union in the country, the NEA that you referenced right off the bat is for some reason aligning itself with this hateful ideology. You referenced this summer at their annual conference, they voted to cut ties with the Anti Defamation League's education materials anti on antisemitism and the holocaust. You referenced the 2025 handbook omitted Jews in its description of the holocaust and referred instead, and I wanna just add a little bit to what you said by quoting, more than twelve million victims of the holocaust from different faiths, ethnicities, races, political beliefs,
genders, and gender identification, abilities slash disabilities, and other targeted characteristics, end quote. You work with parents across the country. Do parents feel comfortable knowing that union that a union representing their children's teachers is promoting this anti Semitic view of history? Absolutely not. And I think that's why we've seen in places like Oakland, after the Oakland education had their unsanctioned teach in about right following October 7, We saw about 30 families leave the district. We are seeing students and families opt out of the public school system because they
are scared, because they feel unprotected, and they feel that their teachers are inserting their opinions and this ideology into classrooms where it has no place. Well and as you may know, the NEA has a federal charter. And given these anti Semitic sentiments, not to mention their other indiscretions to oppose parental rights, support CRT, keep kids out of school, Would you say they're upholding the mission in their federal charter when I, again, quote, to elevate the character and advance the interest of the profession of teaching, end quote?
Absolutely not. I think a federal charger is something that is a big deal. It's sacred. With that with great power comes great responsibility. And on every level, they have let down families, students, and stakeholders in the education system. So am I safe to assume that you think the NEA should not continue to have this explicit endorsement from Congress. I do not, sir. No. And I agree. And that's why I introduced the NEA Charter Repeal Act and why I hope to see it, move forward in this Congress. I wanna move, real quickly in the few moments I have left to, missus Shufotinski.
We've seen local teachers unions across the country distribute anti Semitic instructional material to their members. In Oregon, for example, a union provided a lesson plan that stated, quote, Israel would be a country where rules were mostly fair for Jewish people with white skin, end quote. Meanwhile, the Massachusetts teacher union distributed material that included a picture of a dollar bill shaped into a star of David. In your experience, are unions developing this material on their own, or are they receiving
these type of materials from outside sources? Both. We're seeing union members, some of these caucuses, like miss Neely mentioned, the educators caucus for Palestine and some of the teachers unions developing curricula, but we're also seeing, unions receive curricular materials from outside sources. Excellent. Well, thank you. Thank you for again, for all of your expertise and the input that you've shared. And, with that, mister chairman, I yield back my time. Representative Hayes of Connecticut Connecticut is recognized. Thank you. I just have to compose myself because the National Education Association is made up of
3,000,000 teachers, including myself, and everything that was just said is blatantly untrue. Rabbi Jacobs, thank you for coming again, before Congress. I don't know if you were able to watch yesterday's hearing in the HELP subcommittee, on a very similar topic. We're on the eleventh hearing on this topic. The chairman of the full committee made some quite pointed remarks about AFT president, Randy Weigarden. I believe that Chairman Wahlberg said that Randy, who is Jewish and married to a rabbi, something along the lines of, quote, has not said anything, anything about antisemitism.
She is the president of the American Federation of Teachers, and she quickly responded with at least 10 examples of her very public work, to combat antisemitism. As an expert in this area, can you explain how false charges or smears of antisemitism undermine instance that you mentioned, and this was extremely offensive that there would be an accusation, a false accusation against a Jewish leader, a Jewish woman leader, who has
a very long history, as you mentioned, of speaking out against antisemitism. And this is just a case in point of why so many in the Jewish community feel shortchanged by the response of this administration, which often uses antisemitism and the real fears of the Jewish community as a way to attack political opponents. Opposed to actually listening to what the Jewish community is asking for and dealing with the concrete instances of antisemitism on the ground. Thank you. And I think you lead me into my next, question because once again, we are
having our eleventh hearing on antisemitism on the left. And as ranking member Bonamici and you yourself mentioned in your opening remarks, we have done nothing about, documented examples of anti Semitic behavior on the right. Can you talk a little it's on the right, particularly within the Trump administration. Can you talk a little bit about what happens when politicians use, antisemitism as a partisan political tool as opposed to doing the actual work to help people?
Absolutely. Antisemitism has existed for more than two thousand years, and it exists in every space, whether schools or workplaces or even the halls of Congress. And it's crucial that all of us address antisemitism where we see it, whether within our own political camp or beyond. I've certainly, in my work, spent a lot of time addressing antisemitism both on the right and also in progressive spaces, and I would expect the same from this administration. But as was mentioned, unfortunately, there are people who are in positions of power in
this administration who have ties to neo Nazis, who have promulgated anti Semitic stereotypes. Of course, the pardoning of the January 6 insurrectionists may many of whom also push forward anti Semitic stereotypes makes it very dangerous for Jews. And we've also seen, as as I mentioned, the really decimation of the Office for Civil Rights. We've seen that under presidents of both parties, both the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education and the Department of Justice have had success in addressing and
resolving complaints of antisemitism or other bias, but they can only do that with funding. And so we need to restore the funding to the Office for Civil Rights, bring back their experts, bring back their regional offices so that they can actually concretely address the issues that Jewish students are bringing rather than what the administration is doing, which is trying to use antisemitism to dismantle democracy. Thank you. And getting back to the topic of this hearing, because I see that it is a backdoor attempt to attack public education, to attack the Department of Education, and to
attack labor unions. As an expert in this field, I am a teacher. If a teacher is confronted with antisemitic acts on the playground or in the classroom, are there best practices that they can turn to for how to address this and make sure that their students feel safe, and that they, improve understanding within their classrooms? The first recourse always has to be education. So education for students, education for education for teachers, and for administrators. When instead the response, as we've seen in this administration, is punitive and trying to
strip strip funding from universities and from k to 12 education. That doesn't help any students. That doesn't help any teachers better serve their students. Thank you, and I yield back. Thank you. I'll recognize myself for, five minutes. Rabbi Jacobs, I appreciate you being here today to testify. You have leveled some, accusations against, this committee that I just wanted to clarify. You, said that we are are demonizing teachers' unions. But it is true that the NEA recently voted to boycott the Anti Defamation League. Do you agree with that decision to boycott the Anti Defamation League?
I don't agree with that decision. We have heard a lot of vilification here of teachers' unions, of teachers, and of administrators, and that is not helpful to But but the NEA did vote to boycott the ADL. Correct? So the NEA and other organizations engage with many different types of material. I'll say that, Truaz's booklet on antisemitism is part of of materials that are on the NEA website. But, ultimately, it's the school districts, not the unions, that are deciding on their curriculum. But just to, to clarify, you you do disagree with the decision the NEA made
to boycott the ADL. Correct? I disagree with that decision. Thank you. The question is how to move on from there, and I believe that we need to invest in education at the local level and beyond. Sure. I understand that. I'm just saying, be careful, please, with the accusations that we're demonizing this group and that when you actually agree with us about what they're doing, is a very bad thing. You also noted that we have, you criticized us for a hyper focus on antisemitism. So, do you know roughly what percent of the American population is Jewish? It's about 2%. And do you know last year what percent of religious based hate crimes were directed
against Jewish individuals? The majority of hate crimes are against Jewish individuals. That is has been true for a long time. So 2% of the population, 69% of the hate crimes. So do you think that a, hyper focus on antisemitism, is that the right way to characterize our work? Well, I'll say that the vast majority of hate crimes, particularly violent hate crimes against Jews and against other communities, are committed by people on the on the far right. And I don't see that this is I I don't care who it's committed by. I think it's terrible whoever commits these crimes. And so I think that, deriding us for focusing on the issue I mean, miss
Luhrmann, I think I got that statistic from your your testimony. Is that right? 69% of religious based hate crimes? That's right. That's the only one question. Oh, Mike. That's what's been reported by the ADL and the AJC. And so, I mean, do you think that the problem is that we have too much of a focus on antisemitism given those facts? I think you absolutely need to focus on this problem, which has become very large, and I don't really care whether it's from the right or from the left. There's some on both sides, but there's no point, like, arguing which is worse. We just need to address the problem. Thank Thank you very much.
I couldn't agree more. And, doctor Sufotinski, you've, mentioned the liberated ethnic studies curricula that's going around especially in California. Can you tell us a little bit more about what that is? Sure. It's a it's a version of ethnic studies that is actually rooted in the foundation of ethnic studies, which insists on putting people in either the oppressor category or the oppression category, depending on a couple of things, real or perceived success and skin color. Yeah. And, there we actually had, the superintendent of Berkeley Unified here last year, whose district has adopted that curriculum, and there was an example from a classroom, where that she
defended saying that, from the river to the sea, is a a valid perspective that's being presented. I was actually in the state legislature in California, when the the legislature voted to mandate ethnic studies as a graduation requirement. And then at the same time, the Department of Education produced a model curriculum that was liberated ethnic studies. And it was so bad, it was so blatantly antisemitic, that the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, which was about a dozen, Democrat lawmakers actually, wrote a letter saying that this
state approved curriculum, quote, echoed the propaganda of the Nazi regime. I mean, what is it? This is their words, their actual words. What does that tell you that a state adopted curriculum that would have been a graduation requirement for every California student, is likened to Nazi propaganda by leading Democrats in the state even. I think it shows how, pervasive antisemitism and anti Jewish bigotry is in education. But I also wanna say one other thing. It also shows the bait and switch. When people hear the words ethnic studies, they think it's the study of different ethnic
groups. It's not. Most decent people would agree that students should be, learning about all of the different communities that make up the fabric of our country. That's not what the discipline of ethnic studies is, which is why we saw the blatant antisemitism and still see it in multiple versions of ethnic studies curricula across the country. It's a huge problem. And, just to give the kinda end of this story or at least where we are at right now, they did come up with a revised model curriculum in California, because even the governor had to say the original was offensive in so many ways and would never see the light of day. But then the group that came up with the original version split off, and they're
the ones that are now offering this liberated version. But even the revised version has huge problems, from the perspective of antisemitism. I raised these on the floor of the assembly at the time, but it still passed. And now there has since been an effort to try to address those, before this graduation requirement takes effect, but there's a huge lobbying against this by the very types of groups that we're talking about today. So, unfortunately, I think that it is gonna be necessary for our committee to do some, real, investigations, and further oversight into what's happening precisely at schools like this and
with curriculum this in California and across the country. Miss Lee of Pennsylvania is organized. Thank you, mister chairman. We should just get straight into it. This is yet another hearing, for the Republicans to continue their attacks on against education and organized labor. It's about promoting rising anti intellectualism and anti worker sentiment at the same time because authoritarians cannot thrive in a well educated country or a well organized one. We know Republicans don't care about indoctrination. Every move this administration and its extreme conservative allies make points to the contrary.
The so called parents right movement, which is nothing more than an attempt to suppress topics that conservatives don't like or that make them uncomfortable, is just an attempt to further indoctrinate students who they're upset might be exposed to a full review or opportunity through education. We know this is not about protecting marginalized students, including Jewish students. Republicans are dismantling the Department of Education, including the office, for civil rights and censoring valuable lessons and subjects by banning books, including books about the Holocaust or Anne Frank
in this original sense of this country, the ethnic cleansing of the indigenous people and the enslavement of African people. In the second week, in office, Trump issued an executive order to end so called radical indoctrination in k to 12 schooling. The executive order states that parents trust America's school to instill a patriotic admiration for our incredible nation. But what he's really doing is sanitizing history. Not only is patriotic, admiration, not quite the purpose of k to 12 education, but we can't take our lead on patriotism from the same people who would rather our
entire nation fail or go down to acknowledge our country's true history and the legacy of its actions. Rabbi Jacobs, in your testimony, you highlight the importance of safety, inclusion, and respect in schools. Do you think the Trump administration's plans for education, including teaching patriotism and banning books, will make our Jewish students or any other students feel safer, more included, or respected. The Trump administration's approach certainly does not make Jewish students or other students feel seen and respected and feel a sense of belonging in their classrooms. It's really important for both Jewish students and for other students to be able to
see themselves reflected in the curriculum. So that includes having books with Jewish characters in the classroom. It includes teaching about the Jewish experience, both in the context of American history and in the context of of world history, and includes having a curriculum that shows a broad perspective in which every student can see their their story reflected. Unfortunately, as you've mentioned, we have seen many states adopt the project 2025 approach and start to ban books, which, as you said, have included books about the holocaust, including the diary of Anne Frank.
Thank you. It's gonna be really hard to do that while this administration continues to attack and erode diversity, equity, inclusion programs. For instance, we know that this administration has, essentially threatened to cut federal funding for any schools that do not, prioritize their own students, what they know works the health and safety of those students over the needs or the whims of a rising authoritarian. These programs work. I've talked to teachers who care they have made greats they have taken great strides in closing equity gaps or education gaps by including students culturally in the curriculum, making
them feel included in the in their school's culture. It works. And let's not forget, it was teachers unions who led the fight resulting in a Trump appointed judge ruling against the administration to preserve school's ability to protect civil rights, the students' civil rights. Public schools have been able to withstand some of the unrelenting attacks from this administration because their labor is organized. Villainizing teachers hurts them, but it also hurts the children that we send into their classrooms every day. We ask teachers to educate diverse groups of students about the most foundational skills in
reading and math, and also, yes, the most harrowing instances instances of inhumanity and our world history, enduring children's most formative years. The training and care that goes into developing the skill is not something we can replace with a whitewashed history video from PragerU. Really quickly, Rabbi Jacobs, in your testimony, you shared your organization has worked to educate schools and community partners in a way that makes communities stronger instead of fearful. Do you think this administration's approach, fosters a strong sense of community in the classroom? Absolutely not. You mentioned the attacks on DI. Jewish students actually need diversity, equity, inclusion programs.
Jewish students sometimes need accommodations, whether it's kosher food or being able to make up a test that was given on a holiday, and they need to see their own stories, as I mentioned, being told in the classroom and in books in the classroom. And so when there's DEI programs that don't sufficiently include the Jewish experience, then that has to be addressed, and it has to be addressed in partnership with schools and with school districts. But just abolishing the whole idea of diversity and of belonging of every student hurts Jewish students as well as all students. Thank you. I appreciate, your testimony today, and I yield back.
Representative Owens of Utah is recognized. Thank you, chairman McAllister Owens. Very important, hearing today on antisemitism. It's unfortunate we've been forced to have, go to the same inquiry for the last two years, which includes private and government sector unions, higher education, teachers and college accreditation, and now k through 12. The question we have to ask ourselves, why are we talking about kindergarten in this regard? Well, it's because if the goal of of evil is perpetuate and spread hate, there's no better place to start than without Young, our most innocent and most pliable.
Antisemitism is a terrible cancer that's not only threaded the well-being of Jewish students, but also the emotional and spiritual health of every other student affected by it. Children are not born to judge each other based on race, creed, color, or culture. This happens only when hatred is taught to children by angry, hate filled, godless adults. I watched as my youth and and, Jim Crow South, our nation growing, working to become a more perfect union. And yet here we are in 2025, once again, seeing the divisiveness being taught throughout
our entire educational pipeline. I'm here to report this will end on our watch. This community has taken a stance against ideologues who work to infect our children with evil cancer of hate. There's no place in our classrooms, and those who teach it will soon find themselves no longer compensated by our American taxpayer. Miss Neely, your organization Defending Education released a report on teachers' colleges last year that described colleges of education as pipelines of turning teachers into activists. Could you kinda give us a little more examples of what that looks like?
Sure. Teachers today in teachers colleges are not learning how to be better educators, how to teach phonics. Instead, they are learning to view the world through an oppressor oppressed matrix. So as I said in my opening statement, groups like Jews or Asians or even males are considered oppressors. And so we are put into these big groups. There is no respect for the dignity of an individual of in of somebody's circumstances that brought them to where they are. And so things like that, when teachers then are going into the classroom having learned those things, they they spread those ideas on. And so it's these are teachers colleges that are at state schools, they're at private
schools. And the fact that our teacher licensing pipeline mandates that you must have a teaching degree from these schools, a master's degree, a PhD means that you have to marinate in these ideas steeped in critical race theory, queer theory, anti whiteness, privilege, things like that, that, of course, you are gonna come out at the other end if you have been in that program for four, six, eight years, a complete and utter believer, and I think that's deeply dangerous. You're describing DEI, I imagine, the framework. Okay. Miss Lehman Lehman, you mentioned, in your written, testimony of Brandeis, Center brought a, a
lawsuit against the school district in Santa Ana, California for creating ethnic studies, which included anti Semitic content. Can you share some of those the information that was billed in the course of this lawsuit? Your voice. This was a procedural lawsuit, but in the process of getting discovery, we found, members of the the committee that approved this, these curricula saying, well, how do we handle the Jewish problem? We saw them agreeing that it would be a good idea to hold sessions on
Passover so that the Jewish members wouldn't attend. We saw one of the Jewish teachers who was on the committee called, an effing baby and a colonialized mind. He was one of the ones that they did not want appearing at on the Passover meeting. Quick question. Was there any recommend, any any consequences to these folks when at the end of the day, anything happened to these people? Yes. We reached a settlement with them that they had to stop teaching these curricula that
were full of anti Israel and anti Semitic content. They agreed to work with Jewish organizations to create alternative content. They agreed that they would, follow what we have in California. It's called, controversial issues. They have to teach both sides of something, not just one side of something. Okay. They have to let students disagree. Okay. Okay. Well, thank you. So on. Real quick quick, doctor Steposkinski. In your opening statement, you discussed foreign, funding for K to 12 programs.
Can you give an example of some foreign funding supporting anti Semitic course material or or teachers? Yes. So part of that is coming from Qatari Foundation International, where they're funding, Arabic language and culture classes in multiple school districts in multiple states. Some of that course material then is a complete revision of history, obviously demonizing the state of Israel and also misdefining Jews as an ethno religious group. Okay. Thank you. And I just wanna say thank you, for this committee for being so forward thinking and make sure this ends.
We have to make sure that hatred stops teaching our kids this way. So with that, I I yield back. Thank you. Thanks very much. Representative Mannion of New York is recognized. Thank you, mister chair. Just wanna make a statement about the teachers of this country, to characterize them as angry, hate filled, godless adults, does them a disservice. As what I've found teachers to be in this country, my colleagues, people I represented, are compassionate, dedicated, intelligent educators.
Who are trained to be sure, that when they see instances of anti Semitism in their classroom, that it is immediately addressed. It's not just their training that assures that those issues are addressed, there is a network that is built of administrators, of offices of civil rights at the state and the federal level, to ensure that all children can learn in a environment that is
supportive. And when there are instances of racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, in the classrooms across this country, they are addressed. And they are addressed by those dedicated, compassionate individuals, that are trained effectively to make sure that all of their students are respected, and can learn in a setting that is supportive, helpful, individualized. I was trained to be a teacher.
I was not trained in a an oppressor, oppressive model. That is not an accurate depiction of what is happening across this country, and in our classrooms. We have members of the school board, administrators, parents, students, that are constantly engaged in a discussion to assure that any form of racism or anti Semitism is addressed. I have found the statements made to be dishonest, to be offensive, and insulting to
the teachers of this country, and therefore the students who learn from them. And with that, I yield the rest of my time to Representative Hayes. Thank you, Representative Manion. I just want to clarify for the record, a statement was made earlier by the chairman that the NEA voted to boycott the Anti Defamation League. That is absolutely not true. Once again, this is a union of 3,000,000 members. I do not support, that vote, I mean, that procedure, But their charter, the NEA's
charter mandates that when the executive board puts something for a vote, it goes up to the full committee. There was a few members of the executive board who thought they wanted to vote on this, and that's what happens with democratic processes, you get a vote. On July 18, NEA president Becky Pringle actually issued a statement saying that they were not putting this, to the full committee, and the NEA would not adopt this policy. So it is, once again, just not an accurate statement to say that the NEA voted to boycott the Anti Defamation League at their representative assembly.
The executive board, which is part of their charter, when you when you are in a democratic, process, a member may not like something, they wanna put it up for a vote, you get a vote on it. You get a vote on it. I know that you guys don't like the idea that if you disagree with something, there can't be any dialogue, any discussion, any discourse. That's just not how it works. While I disagreed with even that proposition, I believe that those members get the right to force a discussion on it, whether you like it or not.
So again, I I'm I'm I'm thinking this is the third time I've seen some of these witnesses here at this committee hearing, so I guess there's a shortage of people who want to who want to peddle these ideas, but we have to call it out. I encourage everyone watching this hearing to look up the information for yourself. Look at the test the footnotes and the testimony, because so many egregious statements have been made today. And with that, I yield back. Thank you. I'd like to now work as, mister Moyer for one. Thank you, mister chairman.
Doctor Shufutinski, what can be done to prevent teachers from attending trainings or professional development sessions that engage in anti Jewish bickering? Thank you for that question. I just wanna say, in my testimony today, both oral and written, this isn't to demonize teachers. This is to point out a problem that is persistent and unfortunately increasing in our k through 12 school system. We're seeing a huge rise in antisemitism in our k through 12 school system. We want teachers to have the resources available so that they can best do their
job. Part of what's failing teachers as well as students is professional development programs that are peddled to teachers that are teaching them antisemitic ideology. What can be done? We can make sure that at least at the state level, at the district level, that those credits aren't counted towards professional development credits. We can also make sure that taxpayer dollars aren't funding groups and organizations that are providing anti Semitic teacher professional development. That shouldn't be allowed. Thank you. Let's talk some more. In many cases, school districts will pay for their teachers to attend radical seminars or
institutes. When school districts set up these partnerships, are district leaders privia to the content of these programs ahead of time? If they're not, they should be. That's part of the responsibility of being a district administrator and a leader. Good. And are principals and administrators administrators capable when it comes to anti Semitic professional development efforts proliferating in their districts? Many of them are. Many aren't, unfortunately. What we're seeing is there are some district administrators that can use education on what anti Semitism is. Part of that is them being able to get educated on who the Jewish people
are as a people, as an ethno religious group, where Jewish people come from, and how being anti Israel and anti Zionist is antisemitic. And I think what that we can we can really use a lot more education and related to that. We can also use some education related to Jewish people are not a monolith. There isn't a Jewish community. There are multiple communities and multiple points of views and that should be acknowledged. Well, thank you so much. Thank you, mister chairman. Go back. Thank you. I'd like now to, recognize miss Wilson. Thank you, chair Kiley, and recognize Bonamici for recognizing me.
This hearing is being held to paint the picture that Democrats are anti Semitic, and you're failing all of these hearings that you've had on anti Semitism. You did it to do that, and you failed. It's not working. Democrats, as a party, are not anti Semitic. I'm from Miami, and I live amongst thousands of Jews, some in my own neighborhood on my own street. I was a school principal in all of my years of being a school principal
in Miami Dade County. I never heard a child taunt a Jewish student based on their religion. The only antisemitism I'm aware of was I was raised during the civil rights era, and signs on Miami Beach spoke loudly. No Jews or niggers allowed. So my so my shared struggle with Jews is clear. I believe in the separation of state. I believe in the separation of church and state. That's one of the tenants of our democracy.
But guess who's trying to tear that down? It's Republicans. So right across the street, we have the Department to come up with a plan to determine how we can institute prayer in schools so that we can hurt little Jewish students feelings, break their hearts, and bring them to tears.
How can you hold a hearing on antisemitism when the president announced that this week? I believe in separation of church and state. And now Republicans are saying, we're going to ask schools to be sure to post the 10 commandments on every school classroom wall and post a crucifix on every classroom wall. And now what is more anti Semitic than that? Breaking little Jewish children's hearts, breaking their spirits and making them contemplate if there is
a place in that school for them. How dare you? Such hypocrisy. So who is anti Semitic, my friends? My colleagues on the other side are truly anti Semitic when they try to come up with anti American ideas of spreading Christianity across public schools in our nation to make our Jewish students feel ashamed of their own religion. With that, I have a question. Miss, Shu Fontinsky, I noticed that you called that opinion piece in the Jewish news
of Northern California. That opinion piece you highlighted that governor Newsom stood up for Jewish students by vetoing a curriculum. You also highlighted that he stood firm, ensuring that bigotry was not included in the new curriculum. Can you confirm that governor Newsom has stood firm against bigotry and fought anti Semitism in California? Are any blue states trying to mandate prayer in schools? Are any blue states trying to put crucifixes, crosses on the school walls?
Are they placing the 10 commandments on school walls? Are the Lord's prayer on the public school classroom walls. So who is anti Semitic? Governor Newsom. I yield back. The witness may answer. Governor Newsom did, veto the first draft of that. I yield back. That's my time, and I yield back. Alright. We will go into the next, the next, person for is mister Messmer of Indiana. Thank you, mister chairman, and thank you for the witnesses for being here today. Teachers' unions across the nation have been consumed by anti Semitic ideology and activism.
Miss Neely, can you talk about the ways in which teachers' unions, perpetuate anti Semitism in the K to k to 12 schools? Sure. I think one great example comes from Southern California where the Los Angeles Union School Unified School District and the UTLA, which is an affiliate of both the NEA and the AFT, have actually created provision to, work on a joint ethnic studies commission. This went back as far as 2019 and is still in effect as of today because it was just resigned in 2025. Half of the people on that committee are union representatives. That committee oversees implementation of the mandated course requirements in ethnic studies and associated professional
development. Professional development, as mister Shevatinsky alluded to, is deeply problematic. Curriculum selection, recommendations for expanding ethnic studies to include gender specific courses in sexual identity and and identity, and also advocating for salary point credits so that ethnic studies teachers get a higher salary just for teaching that class. So this is incentivizing teachers to go down this path and to produce and and and insert this ideology into their classrooms. Adopting curriculum from places like Brown University, putting these things together. But also just across the board, we have seen these teachers unions do things like,
you know, push, curriculum like Woke Kindergarten, which has been paid for using federal tax dollars in districts like in Northern California. That was used in New York City public schools to have third graders sing the wheels on the tank. Third graders do not even they they still believe in the tooth fairy at that point. And so to use children as our foot soldiers, human shields in this battle of ideology is something that is so deeply unconscionable. And to be pressed and promoted through teachers union networks, which we have obtained records through FOIAs of all the leaders of the educators for Palestine caucus. They are sharing these materials. They are encouraging each other to participate in these teachings like the Oakland Education Association.
This is a superhighway to share this hateful information with each other from coast to coast. K. Thank you. How have Jewish teachers been impacted by antisemitism within the union within the unions that represent them? Teachers are also being abused by this, unfortunately. Watching some of these things, be disseminated, the Freedom Foundation actually has a number of lawsuits against teachers associations, including the, Portland Education Portland Association of Teachers, because the Portland, and and Portland Public Schools, Portland Association of Teachers has distributed anti Israel teaching materials,
which drew from programs like Teaching While Muslim in Wilt Kindergarten. They have actually coauthored the Teach Palestine Guide with the Oregon Educators for Palestine, urging educators to present a singular anti Israel perspective in classrooms. They have published know your rights guides teaching and organizing for Palestine within Portland public schools, which promotes and tells teachers how to get this material into classrooms, and also defended the use of the phrase from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free, which is widely recognized as a call for the elimination of the state of Israel. This is just one of many issues where teachers have been left out to dry.
There have been there was a a protest a few months ago outside of the, New York City, Department of Education because those educators in that union also have been betrayed by UFT, that have not stood up for them. There was a teacher in New York City public schools that came to light in this hearing last year where a teacher was chased and had to hide in a locked classroom because she was being chased by a mob. That teacher's union did not stand up for her, did not defend her. If something like that happened to another teacher of a different race, of a different religion, there would be their bloody murder would be screamed. But the fact, the silence speaks volumes, and that is unacceptable.
Are these teachers given the opportunity to leave the union or voice their discontent? If they are in a public sector union, thanks to the Janus decision, they are. But if they are in a private sector, if they are private school, if they are in a private union, they are not allowed to. And I think that is something else that, you know, hopefully, this committee and congress eventually looks at. Okay. Thank you. The most important time to shape a child's mind is during the k to k to 12 education where they can develop views and morals that take, take them well into within adulthood. Ms. Shefotisky? I'm sorry about that. How does exposure to anti Semitic messaging from authority figures in K through 12 schools
affect Jewish students' sense of safety and identity as well as create problematic ways of, thinking all thinking for all students? What it can do to Jewish students is it can make them feel like their identity is is not valid and like they're worth being targeted. So it can increase their insecurity, make them ashamed, make them feel embarrassed of the communities that they come from. Thank you. What mechanisms currently exist to hold k through 12 faculty, accountable when when they promote anti Semitic rhetoric in a classroom? Or and and are those mechan mechanisms sufficient?
They're not sufficient. There are mechanisms. There are standards. There are education codes that districts and teachers are supposed to follow. Unfortunately, I think in the cases that we've all spoke spoken about, we've seen that all too often they're not being followed. K. Thank you. Thank you for responses, and I yield back my time. Representative Adams of North Carolina is recognized. Thank you, mister chairman, and I thank you all for your testimony today. I I'm really appalled at all that I've heard. And let me just say, I've having been in the classroom for forty years, having trained teachers, I really resent, much of what's been said about, our unions, particularly the
the NEA. I support them, I support unions and, and what they do for children. But let me just begin by saying this pretty plainly. Antisemitism is real, it's rising, and it has no place in our schools. Every student, Jewish, Muslim, black, brown, or otherwise, deserves to feel safe, respected, and protected in their learning environment, and that's not up for debate. And when students tell us that they don't feel safe, we have a responsibility to listen, not to score political points, not to pit one group against another, but to
take action that protects each and every child. But what troubles me is is how too often instead of working together on solutions, some of this committee have chosen to weaponize antisemitism as a political tool to undermine teachers, to attack unions, and to discredit higher education. I've spent forty years in in the classroom as a professor, and I've taught in public education as well, public schools, and I'm a product of public schools. My daughter works in public schools. My grandchildren, my children all went to public schools, but I know what really happens
in our schools. Teachers show up every day to nurture, to challenge, to protect our children and they're not the problem. And blaming them does not does do doesn't do anything to keep Jewish students safe. So let me just turn to to Rabbi Jacobs and and ask you, Rabbi Jacobs, the majority has claimed that antisemitism in our schools is being brought there by teachers, by teachers unions, and even by academic views. How do you respond to that assertion and what do you see as the real drivers of antisemitism in schools today?
Thank you. I want to echo what you said. There are more than 3,000,000 people who wake up every morning and teach our children in public schools, and I've seen their extraordinary work personally as a graduate of public schools, as a parent of public school students. And teachers get into this profession because they care about children, because they want children to learn. And we've heard accusations against teachers, against administrator against administrators. And, of course, we can come up with egregious examples, but the vast majority of our teachers and administrators walk into those school buildings every morning because they wanna help
children learn. I also wanna appreciate representative Hayes for clarifying that the NEA Regional Assembly did pass that resolution that was mentioned, but that the board rejected it and that the NEA president showed her leadership in making a very powerful statement about antisemitism. This is actually an example of how engagement with the community is the response, not punitive responses. And similarly, in public schools, when there is an instance of antisemitism, the response should be to engage with the school, to ensure that the school's code of conduct is
followed, to engage with the school district. And, of course, if it can't be resolved at that level, to bring it to the Office for Civil Rights, which, as we've said, has been decimated. Mister Martin Let me move on if I can. I have some more questions. So so the Office of Civil Rights at the department is supposed of education is supposed to be on the front lines of protecting students, but we've seen that that office gutted and and undermined. How could the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights better serve Jewish students right now, and what resources or authority would make the the greatest difference?
Thank you. Just over a year ago, Jewish organizations and civil rights organizations supported representative Goldman's bill, the Showing Up for Students Act, which would have increased the OCR budget by $280,000,000. And that is money that is desperately needed so that the office that has the mandate to investigate and to resolve complaints as well as the experts who have the knowledge to do so can do their work. And so what we need to do is we need to restore funding to the office for civil rights, and we need to ensure that they can investigate and resolve
complaints when they come. Listen. I've heard from from Jewish students in my in, in in in various meetings. They don't want their pain to be politicized. They want to be safe. They want to be a part of a community. And, you know, I think what we've heard here today is pretty awful. I wanna yield back to, to, the representative from Connecticut. Thank you for the time. I just want to clarify the record once again. The Oregon Oregon Educators for Palestine is not a teachers union. It's an advocacy group made of made up of community members, educators, but it's an
advocacy group. It is not associated with any teachers union. With that, I yield back. Representative Fine of Florida is recognized. Representative Scott will first go first, and then we'll go represent mister Fine as having waved on to the committee. Thank you, mister chairman. First, mister chairman, we heard that 60 some percent of religious hate crimes were anti were antisemitism. I'd like to put that in perspective. Of all of the hate crimes, the Office of Civil Rights has pending discrimination cases, over fifty eight hundred disability, over thirty two hundred race and national origin, 2,800 and
some sex discrimination. And of the category that could be, include antisemitism, also Islamophobia, a 144. So of all the hate crimes, it's a small minority. The religious hate crimes, it could be, but we just wanna put that in in perspective. Rabbi Jacobs, you indicated, well, you outlined many initiatives that can actually hate fight, fight hate crimes generally.
How effective can those initiatives be against antisemitism if it ignores protecting all students, including race, Islamophobia, homophobia, gender, and disability, and others. Thank you. When we educate about bigotry, we have to educate about bigotries, all bigotries. We have to ensure that schools are safe for all children. So that includes educating teachers and and students about antisemitism along with racism, along with homophobia, along with Islamophobia, and other and other bigotries.
And that is an approach that that works. We also have to educate against bullying because when we allow bullying and harassment into our schools, then, then that opens the door for bullying that's based in in hate against specific groups. And, unfortunately, this administration also has dropped the initiatives of previous administrations to address bullying. And so how effective can a antisemitism initiative be if it just ignores everything else?
I don't believe that we can talk about antisemitism in a vacuum. We have to make sure that American society as well as our schools are places that are safe for everybody, including Jewish students. Thank you. This is the eleventh hearing we've had on antisemitism. We've had none on racism, Islamophobia, gender discrimination, disability discrimination. The chair talks about all the oversight we've done and complains about antisemitism. The agency that can actually do something about it, Office of Civil Rights, is essentially being dismantled.
I think you talked about defunding hate crime prevention grants. What is the difference between talking about the problem and actually doing something? Thanks. Well, the Jewish community is making very specific requests, including funding, as you said, hate crime prevention grants, including the Office for Civil Rights, and those are programs that will address specific instances on the ground as well as I wanna mention president Biden's comprehensive national strategy on antisemitism, which used every tool that the US government has at its disposal to address antisemitism ranging from using humanities grants to ensure that Jewish stories are
told, to doing training for government employees at every level to school based education. And that is an approach that was created in consultation with more than a thousand Jewish leaders. I was honored to be one of them. And that addressed very concrete instances of antisemitism, and it's an approach that this administration has completely dismissed in favor of use of an approach that is just about attacking political opponents and cynically using the fears of the Jewish community to try to dismantle democratic institutions. And what about dismantling the Office of Civil Rights, which should actually enforce problems of
the complaints we've had, they're presented to the Office of Civil Rights, something can actually be done. Is that right? Yeah. In the last annual report of the Office for Civil Rights, they reported that they had resolved more complaints than in any previous year. And so this is an office that is desperately needed and has been defunded. And so we need to restore funding to that office, bring back their their expert staff as well as the regional offices, which are the ones who can deal with specific cases on the ground. Thank you, mister chairman. Just a minute. Mister chairman, when I was citing statistics that were related to OCR cases, I recognized
we were discussing hate crimes. But based on the twenty twenty four statistics from the Department of Justice, hate crimes based on race, ethnicity, and ancestry for the majority of the cases. And, religion, totally was, twenty three point five twenty three point five percent. Thank you. Representative Fine of Florida is recognized. Well, thank you, mister chairman. I have a number of thoughts. This is a deeply personal issue for me. I wanna talk about a couple constituents and and issues that they have had. I knew a a kid who was in seventh grade who faced so much antisemitism
when he was in his public school that the principal, made an extra copy of his key so that he could hide in that principal's office. That happened to me when I was a kid. And when I had children, I made a decision that I would fight to make sure that my children didn't have to go through what I did as a kid. It's a promise, by the way, I've failed to live up to because my son, after October 7, got into a fight at school because he was a Jewish kid. Now fortunately, my son's six two and he's a varsity athlete. It was Jacob one.
The other kid didn't end up in such great shape. But nonetheless, he never should have had to go through that. I actually wear the kippah that I wear right now. I didn't wear it until May 6. I wear it because my son asked me to in honor of all the Jewish kids that do not feel safe to wear theirs. And so I literally wear a Target on my head these days because that is that is what, unfortunately, we live in the world today. But when I sit in these hearings, I feel like I'm in an alternative universe, and here is why. We have solved this problem in Florida. We do not have this problem in Florida. And we don't have it because of some office of civil rights and $280,000,000 of
extra funding. We have it because we passed bills that made sense. For example, the state of Florida designated CARE a terrorist organization and said governments shouldn't work with organizations that say that October 7 made them happy. But not only that, we passed a bill, and this is my question. I actually want to start with miss Neely. We passed a bill. It was my bill. The bill did something very simple. It said, as Rabbi Jacobs implied, we should not discriminate in how we deal with discrimination. And the bill was very simple. It said Florida adopted the IRA definition of antisemitism, the most widespread definition of antisemitism
that is out there, and it said that you if you are a k 12 institution, you simply must treat antisemitism the same way you treat racism. If you've got a code of conduct, delete black, put in Jew, delete racism, put in antisemitism and treat them the same. And when we did that, the problems ended. So my question to you, miss Neil, you talked about, about how things would not be the same if it was other religious groups. Do you believe if we did something like this federally, like we did in Florida, that we could address the problem nationally?
It has been astonishing to watch across the country administrators turn a blind eye to this. We reached out to about two dozen districts after October 7, asking them for statements, looking, comparing what they said after George Floyd's murder with what happened after October 7. Many districts were silent, some equivocated, and some just pretended that didn't happen at all. We actually also reached out to a number of school districts that had used the Black Lives Matter school curriculum because, you remember that BLM had posted that lovely graphic of the paraglider afterwards. And so he said, well, in light of this, are you planning on using this curriculum and having this event going forward?
A school board member in Upstate New York in Rochester said, well, let's remember the role that the Jews played in the slave trade. None of us have clean hands. So when you have failed leadership at the top of a district, at the top of a state that won't do anything, as you said, you can have all the laws in the books, but if people won't get off their butts and do anything about it, it doesn't matter. But I do think it takes real leadership like we've seen in Florida, and I think as we are seeing from this committee, to address an issue, to acknowledge an issue. This is I mean, it's the first step of a 12 step program saying that there is a problem. Sure. And to pretend that there is not a problem is reprehensible.
Look. I I came up with this idea because I believed if a student at a school in Florida called a black student the n word, they would be expelled. And by the way, they should be. But somehow, when it came to Jews, everyone discovered freedom of speech. And and and so that is why we came up with this principle, which is you can't burn a cross if you're the KKK on the college green. You shouldn't be able to say from the river to the sea, kill all the Jews. I mean, they're the same thing. So doctor Shevyninsky, and I apologize if I got your name wrong, what is your
view? Again, simply passing a law that says you must treat anti defining antisemitism and you must treat it the same way as you treat racism. Do you believe that would help solve the problem? I do and I think it is the same thing as racism. We're dealing with an upsurge in anti Jewish bigotry. Jews who are being attacked in classes and on campuses aren't being attacked because of the way they pray. They're being attacked because they are Jewish, because they are of the Jewish people. So so I'm gonna come back to you with this question. You know, we have the Philadelphia school district that's working with CARE, an open front
for Muslim terror. And and again, the head of CARE said October 7 made him happy. He didn't say it five minutes afterwards, to be clear. He said it like a month later, not in the fog of war, and he still has that job today. Why do you think a local school district would choose to work with an institution that said October 7 made them happy? Because the leadership in that district must agree with it, and October 7 likely made them happy as well. So it's not the issue, and this is one of the biggest problems we have in fighting antisemitism.
It's not that they're not uneducated, it's because they agree. We're gonna fight this in this committee. Thank you, mister chairman. I yield back. Thank you, and thank you to all our witnesses for your testimony. I'll now recognize miss Mamanicci for her closing remarks. Thank you very much much, mister chairman, and and thank you to the witnesses for your testimony. As we heard multiple times, this is the eleventh hearing on antisemitism we've had in the past few years. And what has happened? Are things better? No. Antisemitism is on the rise. Tensions and divisions have increased. My colleague just suggested that there's they've solved antisemitism in Florida, but just a quick
check shows that recent headlines say, a disturbing trend of Israel related antisemitic incidents continues in Florida, and Palm Beach County leads Florida in antisemitic instances for a second year. They did not solve antisemitism in Florida. We know that schools have a responsibility to provide all students with a learning environment free from discrimination, and it's the role of the federal government to help schools live up to that responsibility. Traditionally, that has been done by the Office for Civil Rights, which investigates instances of
discrimination and harassment in schools. And after reviewing the facts of each claim of discrimination, then they provide a resolution agreement that's designed to bring the school into compliance with the law. I also wanna clarify, as as the rabbi did with the the discussion about the National Education Association, which did not adopt the resolution, that was proposed. The same thing with Portland, Teachers Association. There's a mention that there was a problematic curriculum, but without the clarification that it was withdrawn after community conversations.
So we need to have a a clear record that these community conversations are really critical to making changes. But, of course, instead of strengthening the ability of the Office of Civil Rights to, serve students in schools, the Trump administration is slashing its budget, trying to eliminate the Department of Education, which houses the office and what's left of its staff. But more importantly, instead of working in a constructive way to actually prevent and curb antisemitism, the administration and some in this body are using antisemitism to undermine public education
and educators and to further their effort to attack higher education. Sadly, these actions are likely to exacerbate antisemitism, the administration claims they want to eliminate. And ultimately, all students will suffer, and so will society, the economy, and democracy. And again, if my Republican colleagues truly care about the well-being of Jewish students and want to fight antisemitism, they should demand that all antisemites and white nationalists in the Trump administration be fired immediately and that the Office of Civil Rights at the Department
of Education be fully funded. We must use our full oversight authority to subpoena those White House officials who have enabled the White House to embrace bigots and anti Semites. They are setting an example and not a good one, and we should hold them accountable for their actions. If my colleagues could muster the courage, we could actually prevent and curb anti Semitism, and I stand ready to work with anyone on either side of the aisle to make that happen. Thank you, mister chairman. Thanks very much. There are a couple members of the, minority who suggested that, somehow, we were criticizing, teachers, with this hearing.
Nothing could be further from the truth. I have the highest degree of admiration, for teachers across this country. What we have done is criticize specific actions of groups like the NEA. And in fact Democrat witness herself, Rabbi Jacobs, agreed that it was wrong for the NEA to decide to boycott the Anti Defamation League. And, of course, it is. I mean, how could anyone do that, say that we're gonna boycott using the materials of the Anti Defamation League, in our classrooms. And, you know, when it comes to the teachers themselves, I actually wanna read you a message that I received, from a teacher who was there, when the NEA decided
to boycott the Anti Defamation League. This is what this teacher said. I saw people line up wearing shirts accusing Jews of genocide, eager to speak against anything Jewish. They weren't emplas improvising. These were coordinated, rehearsed lies. While I felt safe in my small corner of the convention, surrounded by respectful and inclusive delegates, many of my Jewish friends did not. Educators from various states did not feel safe in their assigned sections and had to find other places to sit near friends and allies. There were tears, panic attacks, silent breakdowns, but also hugs, strength, unshakable solidarity.
And it is much worse for the students who are encountering this in schools and classrooms across the country. This ought to shock the conscience of every decent American. But what have we heard today? Our friends here on the other side of the diocese come in with wild conspiracy theories about members of the administration. You wanna talk about January 6. You wanna subpoena Stephen Miller. We're hearing about our friend, mister Fine, who is telling us about students who have to go and hide in the principal's office of their school.
And you guys come in here and want to subpoena Stephen Miller? These are serious problems in our country, and we need serious people and serious leadership to deal with them. But that's what our committee is gonna continue to provide. We'll be investigating violations of Title VI where they occur across the country. We'll be working against the poison of liberated ethnic studies, and we'll be working to protect the civil rights of Jewish students across America. That is the purpose of these hearings. We have seen some progress, but we have a long way to go. With that said, the motion I will move to the motion.
Please clarify my comments? No. You may not. I wanna move to the, the, we'll now return to the gentlelady's motion to subpoena, mister Miller. Chairman, I move to table the motion. The motion to table is in order and not debatable. The question is shall the committee Mister chairman, I'd like a roll call vote. Yes. We'll take the vote first. The question is shall the committee, table the motion to authorize a subpoena? All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. All those opposed, say no. No. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it, and the motion table was agreed to. Mister chairman, I request a roll call vote.
Our court of vote has been requested. We'll now be voting on the motion to table. We will suspend until the clerk is in place to call the vote. The clerk will call the roll. Mister Kiley. Aye. Mister Kiley votes aye. Mister Thompson. Aye. Mister Thompson votes aye. Mister Owens. Aye. Mister Owens votes aye. Miss Miller. Aye. Miss Miller votes aye. Mister Wooley. Aye. Mister Wooley votes aye. Mister Moylan. Aye. Mister Moylan votes aye. Mister McKenzie. Aye. Mister McKenzie votes aye. Mister Harris? Aye. Mister Harris votes aye. Mister Mezmer? Aye. Mister Mezmer votes aye.
Miss Bonamici? No. Miss Bonamici votes no. Miss Hayes? No. Miss Hayes votes no. Mister Manion? No. Mister Manion votes no. Miss Wilson? Miss Wilson votes no. Miss Adams? No. Miss Adams votes no. Mister chairman, on this vote, there are The clerk will call the roll again for any member who has not voted. The clerk will call the roll again for any member who has not voted. Miss Lee? Miss Ansari? Have all members voted? Does any member wish to change their vote? Hearing none, the clerk will report the tally. Mister chairman, on this vote, there are nine yeas and five nays.
The ayes have it. The motion is agreed to. This hearing stands adjourned.