Republican congressmen investigate Department of Education for failure to promote free speech
House Republicans are investigating the Department of Education for funding colleges that undermine free speech.
The letter cites several examples where free speech was either threatened or attacked on campuses around the country.
A letter sent to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona from Kentucky Representative James Comer and North Carolina Representative Virginia Foxx revealed that House Republicans are investigating the Department of Education (DOEd) for funding colleges that undermine free speech.
“[W]e are concerned many of these colleges and universities are undermining free speech and academic freedom on their campuses,” the letter reads. “Despite this problem, the Department does not seem to be engaged in promoting the free exchange of ideas within our colleges and universities.”
The letter cites several examples where free speech was either threatened or attacked on campuses around the country.
One such example was an incident previously reported on by Campus Reform in which a Harvard Law instructor called for the public harassment of conservative justices on the Supreme Court on June 25—a day after Roe v. Wade was overturned.
“The 6 justices who overturned Roe should never know peace again. It is our civic duty to accost them every time they are in public. They are pariahs. Since women don’t have their rights, these justices should never have a peaceful moment again,” the tweet, which was later deleted, read.
“It appears that, if your speech is aligned with left leaning orthodoxy, it will be protected even if it is arguably a threat against the Supreme Court justices,” the letter read.
[RELATED: Alabama Supreme Court hears case against university free speech policy]
The letter discusses another example in which a bipartisan free speech event at Yale Law School was disrupted by hundreds of students who attempted to drown out the speakers with their shouts.
Comer argues in the letter that because universities receive billions of taxpayer dollars in funding, they should promote both conservative and liberal free speech rights.
“For this reason [enormous taxpayer funding], these institutions of higher learning should be havens of free speech,” Comer states in the letter. “Instead, school administrators are undermining the very purpose of their institutions.”
Campus Reform contacted every university, organization, and individual mentioned for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
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