[applause] >> thank you for being here.

we have several members of congress and we are here at one of america's preeminent academic institutions on a very important day. throughout history, colombia's students have contributed to the storybook of america's life and thought, visionary american leaders like alexander hamilton and john jay and the jewish leader knew the self-evident truth that was at the heart of this country and once at the heart of this university, that we are endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights. they should not be infringed. the founders and leaders who come through this institution in the past believed in religious liberty and democracy and morality and virtue and the dignity of every human person. they believed in the free exchange of ideas and detested mob rule. we are standing here now on the

steps of the low library. in this building behind us, columbia university once awarded winston churchill an honorary degree, and it was churchill who said it is manifestly right that jews should have a national home where they may be reunited. we believe in that principal, and today, i'm here to proclaim, for all those who gnash their teeth and demand to wipe the state of israel off the map and attack our innocent jewish students, this simple truth, neither israel nor these jewish students on these campus -- this campus will stand alone. today, hamas issued an endorsement of the protesters on this campus. they called them the future leaders of america. it is detestable. this has to be said because the cherished traditions of this university are being overtaken by radical and extreme ideologies that is a target on the backs of jewish students in the u.s. and on this campus.

a growing number of students have chanted in support of terrorists, chased down jewish students, mocked and reviled him, shouted racial epithets, screamed at those students bearing the star of david. enjoy your free speech. they have told jewish students to leave the country and shamefully some professors and faculty have joined the mob. things have gotten so out of control that the school has canceled in person classes and have come up with this hybrid model where they will discriminate against jewish students. they are not allowed to come to class anymore for fear of their lives. it is detestable. the virus of anti-semitism has spread across other campuses. as many as 200 universities have a similar form of protest now. at yale, a jewish student was stabbed in the eye with a

palestinian flag. 45 students were arrested. at nyu, protesters were shouting from the river to the sea. anti-israel encampments are popping up at universities across this country. the madness has to stop. the madness has to stop. we left a meeting with students who told us of the heinous acts of bigotry they have experienced simply because of their faith. their bravery is inspiring, much more inspiring than some of the activities we are seeing here. they should never have to confront such hate on an american college campus, such a revered institution. anti-semitism has been growing in america and it's clear why. powerful people have refused to condemn it and some have peddled it themselves. from university professors to public officials, people in positions of authority have denied the horrific acts of

9/11, the attacks on the united states that happened in new york city, and have attempted to excuse or ignore the barbaric attack of hamas on israel on october 7, 2023, where women and children were savagely raped and murdered and infants were cooked in ovens. activists have chanted death to america on our own streets in this country and some have refused to condemn them. others have openly defended these acts on campus, the harassing and the intimidation and threatening of innocent students because of who they are. they felt that peaceful protests -- some have even gone as far as to call for the state of israel to be eliminated. the use our word -- these are words we expect from ayatollahs, not from lawmakers and students. not surprisingly, it has given way to threats and violence, and

a generation of students who don't feel safe. let me say this simply. no american of any color or creed should ever have to live under those threats. that is not who we are in this country. sadly, columbia's administrators have chosen to let the threats, fear and intimidation of the mob rule, to overtake american principles like free speech and the free exchange of ideas and free exercise of religion. they have co-opted first amendment arguments to protect genocide and elevate the voices of any semitism. they have proven themselves to be incapable of achieving their basic responsibility, which is keeping students safe. we just cannot allow this kind of hatred and anti-semitism to flourish on our campuses and it must be stopped. those who are perpetrating this violence should be arrested. i am here today, joining my

colleagues, in calling on the president of the university to resign if she cannot immediately bring order to this chaos. as a speaker of the house, i'm committing today that the congress will not be silent as jewish students are expected to run for their lives and stay home from their classes, hiding in fear. in the house, we have already acted to address anti-semitism on campuses and have passed a number of statues to address this matter and call upon the senate to act upon our legislation. i have a couple of my colleagues here that would like to share a few words. i will turn it over first of the chair of the house education and workforce commission, virginia foxx of north carolina. >> thanks, mr. speaker. columbia university is in a freefall following the explosion of this anti-semitism the

committee started investigating. the committee has uncovered key failures in the administration's response to the antisemitic attacks and displays embroiling this campus. the president presented false testimony regarding the removal of a professor. the administration has suspended two jewish students for a made-up chemical attack, so i have a message to the president and a message for you all too. the inmates are running the asylum. take back control of this once great institution. you took action last week. it is time to act again. if not, the committee will pursue every possible avenue to create a safe learning environment for jewish students.

i yield back. >> next is congresswoman nicole from here in new york. >> welcome to new york city. thank you very much for coming. i'm happy to welcome the speaker to new york city. and we appreciate his leadership in coming here to condemn the anti-cement -- the anti-semitism that has been allowed to fester in this campus. we met group of students who told us that they have been bullied and assaulted, spat on. they have had to walk the halls of this campus to see swastikas painted. these are clear examples of anti-semitism and it is shocking to see that it's happening in the most diverse and welcoming city in america. it is truly outrageous and it's clear that the president of this

university cannot control this campus and cannot and will not hold students who are doing these types of antisemitic activities accountable and cannot keep the students who are of jewish faith, who pay a lot of money and work very hard to get to an ivy league institution like this, safe. that is why i joined my colleagues in calling for her resignation. thank you. >> next, another congressman from new york, anthony castaneda. >> thank you. if you are a protester on this campus and you are proud that you have been endorsed by hamas, you are part of the problem. when you enjoy hamas and hezbollah, you are yourself part of the problem. i'm proud to join with you here today in calling for the

immediate resignation of the present of columbia. she has failed her duty. she is not keeping students safe and we see on this campus the hate filled speech that is carrying through this country. >> another new york congressman, michael lawler. >> well, thank you, mr. speaker, for being here in new york. i want palestinians to be free too, from their oppressor, hamas, and every single one of you students that support hamas are an absolute abomination. it is shameful, shameful, that you would support a terrorist organization that butchered and beheaded and burned innocent women, children and babies. i went to israel a month after the attack on october 7 and i watched a 21 minute unedited

video, raw footage of the attack. i watched exactly what hamas did and sadly here in america we have students endorsing the butchering and brutality of a terrorist organization. if you want a cease fire, the fastest way for a cease fire to occur is for hamas to surrender and release the hostages, and if you cannot call for that, you are a pathetic embarrassment to this institution and students everywhere. it is time for president shafik to resign in disgrace. she has lost control of this campus. she has lost control of this institution. and after listening to her comments inside, it is clear that she has no intention of getting this university under control and ensuring the safety of well-being of every student. that is what is entitled to

students attending this institution. if students are not safe, if the institution will not act, congress has a responsibility to do so, and we will. >> i want to thank my colleagues for sharing their thoughts here. i want to say this as well. at the start of the american revolution, the doors of this institution once known as king's college were closed. when the war ended, the institution reopened and was renamed columbia college. it was a shift from the tyranny of the monarchy to the freedom at the heart of the american experiment. now the forces of hatred and oppression are on the march. they have begun to try to close columbia's doors a segment of students. to every jewish student listening the matter where you are, you have my word, the u.s.

house of representatives will do everything in our power to ensure that you are safe, you can freely practice your faith, and you can go to school like everybody else. we will punish those who have allowed this violence and bigotry to go unchecked. with that, i will take a few questions. >> [indiscernible] >> we met briefly with the president and her -- top officials before we came out on the steps here. we encouraged her to take immediate action. our feeling is that they have not acted to restore order on the campus. this is dangerous. this is not free expression. this is not first amendment. they are threatening, intimidating, saying they will take violence upon jewish students. we met with jewish students who are in fear. they cannot come on campus or study for their final exams. this affects everybody's life and the image we portray to the world. this is not who we are as

americans and it's time to act. >> have you spoken to the president about bringing in the national guard? there were senators who have. are you urging the president to do that as well? >> my intention is to call president biden after we leave and share with him what we have seen in demand he take action. there's executive authority that would be appropriate. if this is not contained quickly and if these threats and intimidation are not stop, there is an appropriate time for the national guard. we have to bring order to these campuses. we cannot allow this to happen. we are better than this. i will ask the president to do that and will tell him the same thing. >> what is the house going to do? [indiscernible] >> the house has been investigating a number of these campuses. there is a nexus to federal funding. if these campuses cannot get control of this problem, they do not deserve taxpayer dollars. that's a serious issue.

you have seen our education and workforce committee having oversight hearings. we have brought the president to congress to testify and you have seen accountability begun. there will be more of that. we will work on legislation to adjust this at the federal level. this congress -- and i genuinely believe there is bipartisan agreement on this -- will stand for what is good and what is right. we are going to do what is right by america. we respect free speech. we respect diversity of ideas. but there is a way to do that in a lawful manner and that is not what this is. >> [indiscernible] >> i'm not sure who the aggressors are, but i will tell

you what any of that is an appropriate. it is lawlessness. it's chaos. that is not who we are. we believe in the rule of law. that's one of the foundational principles of america and it must be maintained. the college campuses used to be the place for respectful debate, for differences of opinion and the free market of ideas to be discussed. that is not what is happening. you are intimidating and shouting down people you disagree with. you cannot censor and silence any voice you disagree with. that is not america. you do not understand what it means to respect the first amendment. >> what do you say to the students inside the encampment? >> my message to the students is go back to class and stop the nonsense. if we want to have a debate on campus about the merits of these things, let's do that, but you cannot intimidate your fellow students and make them stay home from class. is that right? do you think that's right? stop wasting your parents money,

congress and lawler says. i think that is right. >> what about the students inside the camp celebrating shab at? >> i don't know who is in there but we are demanding accountability for. that's why this press conference is important. we want this administration and of every campus around the country to bring this to account and bring this lawlessness to an end. that's what we need to do. thank you.

and our support for ukraine, our continued support for ukraine. jake? adv. sullivan: thank you. karine was very short. i have a few things to lay out. i'm sorry we are late for the podium today but it is for good reason, which