{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://bobbyscott.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/scott-opening-statement-hearing-antisemitism-college-campuses", "Scott Opening Statement at Hearing on Antisemitism on College Campuses", "2023-11-14", "2023", "2023-11", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Robert C. \"Bobby\" Scott", "S000185", "bobbyscott.house.gov", "bobbyscott", "https://bobbyscott.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "As originally released by the Committee on Education and the Workforce, Democrats\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 Ranking Member Robert C. \u201cBobby\u201d Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today\u2019s Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee hearing on antisemitism on college campuses.\n\n\u201cIt has been over a month since Hamas\u2019 terrorist attack on innocent civilians in Israel and the start of a brutal, ongoing war in Gaza. This conflict has directly devastated thousands of people\u2014Israelis and Palestinians alike and countless families and friends across the world and in the United States.\n\n\u201cTragically, but not surprisingly, this conflict has also been marked by a rise in both antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents on America\u2019s colleges and universities.\n\n\u201cAnd to be clear, this discrimination is nothing new. Any student of history knows that it did not start with the current war, foreign influences, or any new philosophy.\n\n\u201cMy colleagues would do well to recall this country\u2019s centuries-long history of racism and antisemitism.\n\n\u201cWe can all agree that free speech is a constitutional right and bedrock of our democracy, and colleges and universities have been on the front lines of advancing that right for decades.\n\n\u201cBut we should also be able to agree that schools have a responsibility to protect students\u2019 civil rights and safety.\n\n\u201cAnd if they don\u2019t want to agree to that, Title VI makes it clear that they have that responsibility.\n\n\u201cUnder President Biden\u2019s direction, the Department of Education has recently provided additional guidance to colleges and universities on how to uphold their obligation under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and better address antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of discrimination on campus.\n\n\u201cWhile the Biden Administration has taken an active role in helping institutions protect students, regrettably, many of my colleagues have spent this Congress fueling divisive and baseless culture wars. Moreover, this week, Congress will consider a government funding bill that includes cuts for the Department of Education\u2019s Office of Civil Rights\u2014the very agency charged with protecting students from discrimination.\n\n\u201cSo, today, I hope my Republican colleagues will denounce the culture wars that have distracted us from protecting our vulnerable students. And I hope we can all stand behind the Biden Administration\u2019s critical work to ensure that every student and educator has access to a campus free from discrimination, harassment, and violence.\n\n\u201cThank you, Mr. Chair and I yield back.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://bobbyscott.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/scott-opening-statement-hearing-antisemitism-college-campuses"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.340589951723814, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}