Universities would pay ‘hefty price’ for allowing encampments under new Senate bill

FIRST ON FOX: Under new legislation being proposed by a Republican senator, universities could be rendered ineligible for federal monetary assistance if they don’t promptly remove encampments, such as those erected during anti-Israel demonstrations across the country. 

Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, will introduce The Encampments or Endowments Act on Thursday in response to the various escalating protests professing anti-Israel sentiments at institutions of higher education, many of which have disrupted classes and school events, including graduation at some universities. 

“We cannot allow people who hate our country to turn campuses into garbage dumps. My legislation will force colleges to follow the law, protect their students, and shut these encampments down. If they refuse, they’ll pay a hefty price. It’s time to end this national embarrassment,” Vance told Fox News digital in a statement. 

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Sen. JD Vance wants to penalize schools that don’t clear out encampments. (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Ohio senator’s bill will come as police have either arrested or detained over 2,200 people during demonstrations at about 49 college campuses in 26 states between April 18 and May 3.

Per the bill, schools that do not clear encampments within a week would not be eligible for financial assistance under the Higher Education Act of 1965, which authorized numerous programs to support post-secondary education and provide student aid programs to assist with the cost of school for applicants.  

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Students have erected encampments against Israel across the country. (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

Additionally, Vance’s new legislation would disallow those schools from participating in Title IV programs if they fail to clear the encampments.

The Department of Education did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

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Schools have taken a lax approach to dealing with demonstrators, even negotiating with them. (Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The bill would also force ineligible schools to then provide grant-based aid to continuously enrolled students to make up for the federal aid they would have received otherwise. If it fails to do so, “it must pay a tax equal to 50 percent of its endowment’s assets,” according to the bill.

Ineligibility would last for five years from when the Education Department determined it to be so. 

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Education Secretary Miguel Cardona condemned antisemitism on campuses. (Getty Images)

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Republicans have been significant critics of both the anti-Israel demonstrations and encampments, as well as the handling of the protests by both the universities and the Biden administration. 

While both President Biden and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona have denounced antisemitism in the demonstrations and protests that have escalated into property damage and violence, they have not signaled support for Republican requests, including that those students be prosecuted or deported.