NE Washington News

In Washington, D.C., a letter was sent to Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Director Renee Wegrzyn by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. The committees are seeking information on how ARPA-H ensures compliance with Title VI in its funded research projects to maintain an environment free from harassment and discrimination.

The request follows an increase in antisemitism at universities such as Columbia University and the University of California, San Francisco, where ARPA-H is currently funding research. The letter is signed by several committee chairs including Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Brett Guthrie, Morgan Griffith, Virginia Foxx, and Burgess Owens.

"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 wrote. They seek more information about how ARPA-H ensures compliance with civil rights laws to prevent harassment and discrimination against individuals of Jewish faith.

ARPA-H operates under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services within the National Institutes of Health. It has allocated over $595 million in research funding over the past year. A significant portion went to universities like Columbia University ($39.5 million), University of Pennsylvania ($7 million), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ($18.4 million), Wyss Institute at Harvard University ($27 million), Yale University School of Medicine ($24 million), University of California, San Francisco ($35 million), Harvard Medical School ($104 million), and Stanford University ($26 million).

Of 14 university-based projects funded last year by ARPA-H, 11 are under federal or congressional investigation for potential Title VI violations or face lawsuits related to antisemitic behavior on campus.

Columbia University is undergoing multiple investigations by both the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights and congressional committees due to complaints regarding antisemitism. Similarly, the Committee on Energy and Commerce is investigating issues related to antisemitism at the University of California, San Francisco.

Recently, a resolution agreement closed an investigation into the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign after finding non-compliance with Title VI concerning anti-Jewish discrimination complaints.

For further details, interested parties can access the full letter online or contact via phone numbers provided: Main: (202) 225-3641; Press: (202) 226-4972.