Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Kat Cammack, R-Fla., have launched a new caucus to oppose college campuses becoming, in their words, “indoctrination camps” for liberals.
The Republicans “aim to educate other legislators about the clear bias against free speech on campuses and help bring national and local awareness to what is occurring in their districts and across the country daily," according to a press release from Young America’s Foundation.
“Free speech is guaranteed in our Constitution. It should be revered on our college campuses. Sadly, this is where it’s most at risk, Young America’s Foundation President Scott Walker, the former governor of Wisconsin, said in the group’s press release. “The Campus Free Speech Caucus will help us fight back and ensure all voices can be heard on campus!”
In a statement, Cammack said: “I’m so thrilled to be leading the Campus Free Speech Caucus with my colleague and friend Rep. Jim Jordan. Together with YAF, we’re sending the message that free speech is not only a constitutional right but also a core freedom that must be preserved on college campuses across the country. At a time when university leadership and students are caving to the pressure of liberal progressivism, my colleagues in Congress will stand up for the First Amendment and ensure all have the right to exercise their thoughts and ideas freely and without persecution.”
The Florida Republican told “Fox & Friends” on Monday: "Let's be honest, our college campuses these days, these aren't higher-education institutions, these are indoctrination camps. We have students across the country that are being attacked, they are being vilified. It is absolutely ludicrous that we as taxpayers [fund] this type of behavior."
"It's happening everywhere," added Jordan, who is the ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee. "Your First Amendment liberties over the last several years, every single right we have under the First Amendment has been assaulted … It's most drastic on college campuses, as Kat points out. And that's why we're forming this caucus to push back and stand up for the Bill of Rights, for the Constitution and most importantly, for your free speech rights under the First Amendment."
He said in a statement that “The First Amendment is under attack on campuses across the country. Every day, students and faculty are forced to self-censor out of fear that they will be ‘canceled’ by the mob. The Campus Free Speech Caucus, led by Rep. Kat Cammack and inspired by YAF, will work with Congress to push back on ‘woke’ cancel culture and defend freedom for Americans everywhere.”
Jordan previously said during a hearing he conducted on the subject in 2017 that “College is a place for young minds to be intellectually bombarded with new, challenging ideas. Unfortunately, today on many campuses, students and faculty are forced into self-censorship out of a fear of triggering, violating a safe space, a micro-aggression, or being targeted by a bias response team. Restricting speech that does not conform to popular opinion contradicts the First Amendment’s principles and the right to speak freely.”
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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