Overview
- The new Combating Antisemitism on College Campuses Caucus was unveiled at Vanderbilt University on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, with Vanderbilt’s chancellor and leaders from several other universities in attendance.
- Lawmakers say the caucus will serve as a bipartisan forum to coordinate oversight of how colleges respond to antisemitic harassment, press institutions to protect Jewish students, and spotlight campuses viewed as models.
- The group plans to track and push specific legislation including the Antisemitism Awareness Act, the HEAL Act, and the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act, a recent House anti‑BDS measure that links federal aid to boycott activity.
- Organizers have not yet released a roster of members or a formal schedule, but they have signaled near‑term work will include campus visits, bringing university leaders to Capitol Hill, and public oversight actions.
- The caucus builds on a multiyear congressional response to a post‑Oct. 7, 2023 rise in reported campus hostility that produced federal civil‑rights probes and high‑profile hearings, and it could increase pressure on universities through targeted oversight and funding questions.