In a clear sign that the political battle over free expression will continue in the new Congress, two House Republican committee chairs sent a letter to the Department of Education criticizing the agency’s actions on campus free speech and renewing a previous request for information regarding the Department’s efforts in this area. 
 
In the letter, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee, and Rep. James Comer (R-KY), chair of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, assert that “colleges and universities are undermining free speech and academic freedom on their campuses” and accuse the Department of failing to promote the free exchange of ideas on college campuses.
 
Specifically, the letter expresses dismay at the Department’s effort to roll back several free speech initiatives established during the Trump Administration, including a hotline for the public to report free speech violations at colleges and universities. The letter also seeks information about the status of free inquiry regulations that were originally published by the Trump Administration. The Biden Administration, which announced over a year ago that it planned to amend the free inquiry rules, expects to publish proposed regulations as soon as this month.