Jason Smith to probe college tax status over anti-Israel protests

U.S. Rep. Jason Smith of Southeast Missouri and chairman of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, said the tax-free status of colleges and universities that tolerate or espouse anti-Israel rhetoric will be subject to a review by the panel — which Smith has led since the beginning of the year.

"What these institutions of higher education are allowing at their campuses is absolutely horrendous. The Ways and Means Committee, the panel with sole jurisdiction over tax policy, will call in these schools because it is unacceptable that tax-funded universities are allowing student organizations to support terrorists. It is un-American," said Smith, who has represented 30 southern and southeastern Missouri counties since 2013.

"We're going to be looking at the tax-free status of billion-dollar endowments, for instance. We're going to make sure these universities are held accountable," he added, previously identifying Harvard, Yale, Cornell University and the University of California as likely targets of a probe.

"Unfortunately, these schools are more focused on pushing woke, liberal ideas across this country and ingraining these views into future generations of Americans."

Smith's views were heard Friday, Oct. 20, on the Fox Business program "The Evening Edit".