Washington, D.C., - Today, House Republican Leadership Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, alongside NYC Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, demanded Gov. Kathy Hochul fire CUNY Chancellor Félix Rodríguez after Tuesday's House Committee on Education & Workforce hearing for failing to hold faculty members accountable for the alarming rise of antisemitism on campus.
Read the Chairwoman's Remarks Below:
Chairwoman Stefanik: I am calling on Governor Kathy Hochul the worst Governor in America, who has bent the knee to the antisemites in her party, to call on Chancellor Rodriguez to resign. She needs to make that call today. She controls the Board of Trustees, which hires and fires for Chancellor. So she needs to show strong moral leadership which she has failed to do to date, to call on him to resign.
...
Whether it's funding, whether it's strengthening our support for protecting Jewish students on campuses, or whether it's combating antisemitism, we've taken a number of steps in Congress to hold them accountable. Who has not taken steps are Democrats in New York, led by Kathy Hochul. This scourge of antisemitism has skyrocketed on her watch. She has failed to hold them accountable. She has allowed failed leaders like the Chancellor of CUNY to stay in this position when he failed to protect Jewish students. So again, actions speak louder than words. Obviously, all these university presidents who come before Congress are very prepped up. They are lawyered up beforehand. But it doesn't make up for their failed leadership and their failed actions, and that was on display today.
...
I support President Trump's actions in holding universities accountable, which is happening as a result of our oversight work in Congress, and I'm going to continue to lead on this issue. Kathy Hochul has failed to lead. I will continue to lead on this issue and set the tone for zero tolerance when it comes to antisemitism.
...
My question for Kathy Hochul is, "Why have you not condemned Zohran Mamdani's raging antisemitism?" It's because you're bending the knee to the antisemites that control New York's Democrat Party. Kathy Hochul needs to show leadership. She needs to call on this Chancellor to resign. She needs to fire him today.
Councilwoman Vernikov: I, today, join the call of the congresswoman on the Chancellor to go back to New York City, go to his desk and draft up a letter of resignation. I have here a letter signed by a bipartisan coalition of elected officials from New York asking the governor to remove the Chancellor. She has known about this for years. In fact, she's the one who engaged Judge Lippman to investigate antisemitism at CUNY. He did a very thorough investigation. He issued a report over a year ago. So she has known about this. And as Congressman said, the governor has the control of the Police Board. She has ten appointees. With one phone call, she can make sure the Chancellor gets removed. We need competent leadership. The Chancellor is unwilling and unable to address antisemitism and protect his Jewish students. And by the way, just to know, you know the Democrats, it is the Democrats that are busy endorsing and supporting someone like Zohran Mamdani who may very well become the mayor of New York City. He's an antisemite. He's anti-Israel and anti-American.
###
