Chuck Schumer Just Sparked A Massive Free Speech Debate After Sliding Antisemitism Act Into Defense Bill

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has reportedly moved to add the Antisemitism Awareness Act into the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), sparking debate about free speech concerns.

The Antisemitism Awareness Act is meant to add protections to Jewish students as violence towards the community becomes increasingly common, though critics of the bill argue the act may not succeed in its goal and instead would “police speech.” Adding the bill into the must-pass NDAA, an annual bill that establishes defense policy, allows the bill to bypass a congressional vote and, if its addition is approved, nearly guarantees its passage, according to Jewish Insider.

“This bill, however well intentioned to protect students from antisemitic unlawful conduct on campus, would prohibit a lot of constitutionally protected speech related to the Israeli Palestinian conflict, and runs contrary to long-standing First Amendment precedents,” Tyler Coward, legal counsel for government affairs at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, told the 🏢Daily Caller News Foundation. “It would not protect Jewish students, because when put under judicial scrutiny, the law wouldn’t survive…it’s likely to be struck down by the courts.”

The bill has faced scrutiny over defining statements like “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination” and “drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” as antisemitic.

Coward pointed to a recent Executive Order signed by Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott that used a similar definition of antisemitism and is now facing