The chancellor of the City University of New York (CUNY) defended his institution and its 26 campuses in the face of accusations of antisemitism Tuesday during a hearing on Capitol Hill. 

“Let me be clear, antisemitism has no place at CUNY,” Dr. Félix Matos Rodríguez told lawmakers on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. 

Last year, an independent review, ordered by Gov. Kathy Hochul, found that CUNY needed to significantly overhaul its policies to handle antisemitism on campus. 

The chancellor told the panel that they have worked to heed the various recommendations. 

“Now all the complaints around discrimination, harassment are handled by one single center which works on the training of all the individuals conducting the investigations, so we have more timely investigations, we’re more responsive,” he said. 

Matos Rodríguez said that in the past two years, CUNY has disciplined 18 students for antisemitic conduct and more for inappropriate behavior tied, for instance, to protests. 

The hearing was the latest in a series of hearings Republicans have called since pro-Palestinian protests roiled college campuses last year. 

CUNY’s chancellor testified alongside the leaders of Georgetown University and the University of California at Berkeley. 

New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, a Republican representing the North Country, has repeatedly made headlines with her lines of questioning at the hearings. 

On Tuesday, she pressed CUNY’s chancellor about a law clinic affiliated with the university and its ties to a high-profile case: the detainment of pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil.

“The legal defense fund for Mahmoud Khalil is the head of CUNY CLEAR. That's acceptable under your watch?” Stefanik asked.

“We have no tolerance for antisemitism on our campuses,” Matos Rodríguez said in response.  

When asked if that individual will be fired, the chancellor said, “Anybody that breaks our rules and our policies, there will be an investigation, we'll investigate, and if there's any disciplinary action to be taken, we'll take it.”

Democrats at the hearing argued Republicans are singling out higher education while overlooking moves by the Trump White House that could undermine efforts to combat antisemitism. 

“They’ve supported this administration's moves to gut the Office of Civil Rights at the Department of Education, canceled grants for hate crime prevention, and openly has embraced individuals with known records of offensive, conspiratorial, hateful rhetoric,” Congressman John Mannion, who represents the Syracuse region, said. 

Overall, the university heads avoided the viral moments seen at past hearings. 

After the proceedings wrapped up, Stefanik demanded that Hochul call on the CUNY chancellor to resign, arguing that the governor needs to show “strong moral leadership.”

In response, a spokesperson for the governor said in a statement, "This is political theater at its worst. While Congresswoman Stefanik grandstands, Governor Hochul is focused on real solutions. At the Governor’s direction, CUNY has taken steps to combat antisemitism and ensure every student feels safe and respected on campus.” 

Stefanik is publicly toying with challenging Hochul in next year’s gubernatorial election.