United States Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), whose questioning of former Penn President Liz Magill during a congressional hearing on campus antisemitism preceded Magill’s resignation, will release a book next spring chronicling what she calls the “moral rot” of higher education.
The book — set to be released in April 2026 — revisits Stefanik’s 2023 questioning of Magill during a congressional hearing that sparked national outrage. It also situates Stefanik’s criticism of higher education among her alignment with the Trump administration’s effort to exert influence on universities accused of left-leaning bias.
“Stefanik exposes how the nation’s most prestigious institutions abandoned their founding ideals of freedom of thought, open debate, and academic excellence, and instead embraced a culture of censorship, radical leftist groupthink, antisemitism, and moral cowardice that has spread far beyond campus walls to every corner of American life,” a press release for the book reads.
In a December hearing of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, Stefanik repeatedly asked Magill — as well as former Harvard University President Claudine Gay and Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth — if a call for the genocide of Jewish people would violate Penn’s policies or code of conduct, citing calls for “intifada revolution” as an example.
Magill responded that “if the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment.”
Following Stefanik’s repeated questioning, Magill stated that a call for the genocide of Jews would constitute as harassment “if it is directed, and severe or pervasive,” later adding that it would be “a context-dependent decision.”
The exchange quickly dominated social media feeds and prompted bipartisan criticism of Magill’s remarks. In the days that followed, major donors — including some of Penn’s largest benefactors — called for her resignation. Magill stepped down within a week, ending her tenure after less than two years in office.
Stefanik, who is reportedly preparing to launch a campaign for New York governor, has positioned herself as one of the Republican Party’s leading voices on higher education.
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Last November, Trump tapped Stefanik for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, a nomination which was later pulled in March to preserve the Republican party’s already slim majority in the House.
In early April, Stefanik was also named “Chairwoman of House Republican Leadership” by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R.-Calif). She also has maintained her posts on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the Armed Services Committee, and the Committee on Education and the Workforce.
