Capital District Times

In a recent appearance on Fox News with Sean Hannity, House Republican Leadership Chairwoman Elise Stefanik discussed the Trump Administration's decision to cut federal funding to Harvard University due to its alleged failure to end antisemitism on its campus.

Highlighting actions from the previous administration, Stefanik criticized the current President, Joe Biden, for not protecting Jewish students on college campuses. She stated: “That hearing occurred during the Biden Administration, and what did we see from Joe Biden? Zero action to protect Jewish students on campuses and to hold these universities accountable.” Stefanik praised President Donald Trump for his firm stance, stating, “President Trump correctly made the correct decision to defund these institutions.”

Stefanik touched on the conditions imposed by the Trump Administration on Harvard. “If you look at what they required for Harvard, it was protection of Jewish students, it is making sure that we are getting rid of DEI, which by definition, is antisemitic,” she claimed.

Discussing the financial impact, Stefanik noted, “President Trump made the direct and correct decision to defund to the tune of over $2 billion these higher ed institutions that have fundamentally lost their way." She asserted that “U.S. taxpayer dollars should never be propping up antisemitism.”

Stefanik, a Harvard graduate herself, expressed her belief that education needs to refocus on core values rather than entitlements. “Higher education has fundamentally lost its way, and it’s increasingly out of touch,” she said. She advocated for alternative educational opportunities like community colleges and vocational programs as a pathway to success, emphasizing the need for nationwide defunding of non-compliant institutions: "President Trump is rightly holding these schools accountable."