House Republicans urge Treasury Department to release bank records of college protest groups
The Republican-led House Oversight and Education Committees have asked the U.S. Treasury Department to disclose any suspicious financial activity involving nearly two dozen groups participating in ongoing protests on college campuses related to the war in the Gaza Strip.
In a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Education Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) stated, “The Committees are looking into the sources of funding for groups behind pro-Hamas, antisemitic, anti-Israel, and anti-American protests with illegal encampments on American college campuses.”
They added, “This investigation is focused on the malign influence on college campuses and the national security implications of such influence on faculty and student organizations.”
Mr. Comer and Ms. Foxx have requested the Treasury Department to provide any suspicious activity reports (SARs) banks may have produced regarding the financial activities of 20 identified groups involved in the ongoing protests. The list of organizations includes:
- Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)
- Jewish Voice for Peace
- Within Our Lifetime
- American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)
- IfNotNow
- Open Society Foundations
- Rockefeller Brothers Fund
- Tides Foundation
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- Solidaire Action
- Libra Foundation
- Westchester Peace Action Committee Foundation
- Muslim Community Network
- Council on American-Islamic Relations
- Center for Popular Democracy
- Peace Action New York State
- People’s Forum
- Samidoun
- Adalah Justice Project
- Palestine Legal
Comer Expresses Doubts About Organic Nature of Protests
Various activist groups have established encampments at college campuses and even taken control of university buildings as part of their protests. Reports have emerged of activists harassing individuals, including Jewish and Israeli students and faculty, during the campus demonstrations.
“The antisemitic and illegal protest encampments occurring on colleges nationwide are alarming and do not seem organic. Recent reports suggest that multiple leftist organizations are spearheading efforts to support and promote these hateful and unlawful encampments,” remarked Mr. Comer.
He mentioned that their committees intend to follow the money trail and expose the radical groups funding these activities to the public.
Related Stories
“It’s no coincidence that following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack, antisemitic mobs started appearing on college campuses nationwide,” added Ms. Foxx. “These protests are coordinated and well organized, indicating potential external influences. Our education system is under threat.”
Ms. Foxx stated that these protests are disrupting educational institutions and urged Congress to uncover the funding sources of these groups before it’s too late.
The Republican lawmakers have given Ms. Yellen and the Treasury Department until May 28 to provide the requested SAR records.
NTD News reached out to the Treasury Department for comment, but received no response by press time.
NTD News also sought responses from the organizations mentioned in Mr. Comer and Ms. Foxx’s letter but did not receive any comments by press time.
Legislators Push for Accountability from Protest Organizers and Universities
Ms. Foxx and the Republican-led House Education and Workforce Committee have been urging universities across the country to address the tense atmosphere on their campuses. The committee hosted the presidents of Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) at a hearing on Dec. 5, where university officials received bipartisan criticism for their handling of calls for genocide against Jews.
Last month, Ms. Foxx condemned the establishment of a pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University as an “unacceptable” development and urged university officials to restore order and safety promptly.
The call from Mr. Comer and Ms. Foxx for the Treasury Department to provide SARs regarding the 20 pro-Palestinian protest groups comes shortly after 16 Republican U.S. Senators urged IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel to investigate the tax-exempt status of some of the same groups involved in organizing these campus protests. The senators argued that these groups may be supporting terrorist organizations, potentially leading to a removal of their tax-exempt status.
