Two House committees pen letter to ARPA-H to ensure civil rights compliance against anti-Semitism

Both the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce have sent a letter to the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to ensure it is complying with certain civil rights laws.

ARPA-H, an agency within the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, was established in 2022 when President Joe Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act into law. According to its website, ARPA-H “accelerates better health outcomes for everyone by supporting the development of high-impact solutions to society’s most challenging health problems.”

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“Pursuant to Rules X and XI of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Education and the Workforce are investigating the extent to which the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) is ensuring the research it funds is conducted in an environment free from harassment and discrimination— including discrimination and harassment of those of Jewish faith or heritage—in accordance with relevant civil rights laws,” the committees’ letter reads.

“Of the fourteen university-based projects ARPA-H funded in the last year, eleven … are at universities that were recently or are currently under federal and/or congressional investigation for potential Title VI violations and/or are being sued in federal court for permitting antisemitic behavior on campus,” the letter continues. 

“Due to ongoing reports of antisemitism across colleges and universities, federal and congressional investigations into potential civil rights violations at these institutions, and an ongoing congressional investigation into HHS’s and NIH’s handling of these concerns at HHS-funded institutions, the Committees are seeking more information about how ARPA-H ensures that those involved in projects it funds comply with Title VI and relevant civil rights laws to ensure a research environment free of harassment and discrimination, especially towards those of Jewish faith and heritage,” it adds.

The letter, which was signed by Committee Chairs Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Virginia Foxx, asks ARPA-H Director Renee Wegrzyn to provide the answers to questions like: “What steps, if any, has ARPA-H taken to ensure that universities, institutions, and organizations receiving taxpayer funds are complying with Title VI, especially regarding recent antisemitic protests and riots?” and “What mechanism, if any, does ARPA-H have in place for those working on ARPA-H funded research to notify the agency of complaints of harassment and discrimination?”

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As Campus Reform has previously reported, Congresswoman Virginia Foxx has been among the most vocal critics of the Biden-Harris administration and higher education’s handling of the recent wave of anti-Semitic activism following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.

Last month, Foxx condemned Harvard University for failing to defend Jewish students from such unrest.

“Harvard failed, end of story,” Foxx stated in a Sept. 26 press release. “These administrators failed their Jewish students and faculty, they failed to make it clear that antisemitism will not be tolerated, and in this case, Harvard may have failed to fulfill its legal responsibilities to protect students from a hostile environment.”

Campus Reform has contacted the House Committee on Education and the Workforce for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.