Chairman Burgess Opening Remarks on H.R. 6090, 3397, 2925, 615, 764, 3195, 6285

As prepared for delivery:

Good afternoon. 

America is engulfed by a wave of antisemitic extremism. According to the Jewish Federations of America, there’s been an over 300 percent increase in antisemitic incidents since the horrific attacks of October 7th. You need not look any further than our colleges and universities—where the next generation of American minds are molded—to see that deeply disturbing number in action.

At the George Washington University, anti-Israel demonstrators held a sign championing a “final solution” alongside Israel’s flag emblazoned with the Star of David. You heard that correctly. In the heart of our nation’s capital and less than a two mile walk from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, far-left activists evoked the brutal murder of 6 million Jews.

The amount of ignorance and sheer malice required to reference the Nazi’s butcher’s bill like that is simply staggering. What’s even more concerning is the extent to which that hate has infected institutions of higher learning across the country. 

At Princeton University, protestors reportedly displayed the flag of Hezbollah. At Penn, students proudly waved signs in support of another intifada. If you’re endorsing a terrorist organization focused on killing Jews or calling for an outright violent uprising against them, you’re on the side of hate—not peace.

Indeed, this fervor of antisemitism has also made it an incredibly difficult time to be Jewish on campus. For example, as Columbia University’s radical encampment expanded, Jewish students were encouraged to stay home and classes were held virtually. One freshman put it succinctly: “As a Jew, I no longer feel welcome on campus. I no longer feel safe on campus.” 

He should be pursuing his dreams in an environment free from fear and hate. Antisemitism destroyed that possibility. It’s heartbreaking and simply unacceptable.

But it isn’t just students, faculty members have also suffered because Columbia allowed an unsafe learning environment to fester. The university deactivated the ID of a Jewish assistant business professor because they purportedly couldn’t protect his safety amidst radical protests. Collegiate administrators will do anything to avoid addressing antisemitic harassment on campus, even discriminate against their own employees. 

This very chamber has witnessed the lengths to which universities and other institutions will go to avoid confronting this troubling reality. Now more than ever, it’s critical the federal government’s definition of antisemitism is clear and uniform. That’s why we’re taking up H.R. 6090. 

The Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2024 will require the Department of Education to consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism when enforcing federal anti-discrimination laws. Congress must clearly define antisemitism, so universities are empowered to take appropriate and decisive steps to keep Jewish students safe and respond to exercises of speech so hostile and discriminatory that it is not covered by the protections enshrined in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

The Committee will also consider measures related to our nation’s lands. For far too long, the Biden Administration has used people obscured behind the anonymity of federal agencies to enact their radical agenda. Our constituents and American industry have paid the price. House Republicans are committed to ending the weaponization of the bureaucratic state, that’s why we’re taking up several bills to roll back Executive and Judicial branch overreach. 

H.R. 3397, the Western Economic Security Today Act, will give local communities greater control to administer lands as they see fit. H.R. 764, the Trust the Science Act, delists the gray wolf as an endangered species marking a success story of conservation and stewardship. 

H.R. 6285, Alaska’s Right to Produce Act; H.R. 3195, the Superior National Forest Restoration Act; and H.R. 2925, the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act will remove roadblocks set up by radical officials to hinder American energy production. Finally, H.R. 615, the Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act, will prevent the Biden Administration from barring the use of certain ammunition or tackle on public lands.  

As always, I look forward to a fulsome debate on these important items.

I will now yield to our ranking member, Mr. McGovern, for any remarks he wishes to make. Thank you. 
 

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