Why It Matters
A House subcommittee is set to examine whether antisemitism has taken root inside American health care institutions, training programs, and professional associations, a question that Jewish advocacy groups have been pressing Congress to confront for more than a year. The hearing, titled "Bad Medicine: Politics, Unions, And Antisemitism In Health Care," arrives as Jewish organizations report that clinicians and students have faced exclusion, harassment, and in some cases denial of care based on their identity or political views.
The stakes extend beyond the hearing room. If the subcommittee builds a record that antisemitic conduct is occurring in federally funded medical schools and hospitals, it could set the stage for appropriations riders, civil rights enforcement referrals to HHS, or new oversight mandates, all of which would directly affect how health care institutions operate and who they serve.
What Sparked the Hearing
The groundwork for this hearing was laid through a sustained lobbying and advocacy campaign. Leaders from the Jewish Federations of North America traveled to Washington to meet with members of Congress and describe what they characterized as a pattern of exclusion inside medical professional associations, schools, and clinical settings. Federation Vice President of Community Relations Evan Bernstein described the problem in stark terms, saying that "health organizations, practices, schools, and associations" had taken "radical political positions whose only practical effect is to exclude Jews, as well as more blatant efforts to ostracize Jewish members of our community."
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers separately wrote to the Appropriations Committee urging that the FY2026 funding bill direct the Department of Health and Human Services to produce a comprehensive report on antisemitism and civil rights violations in health care and medical schools, citing a lack of comprehensive data as a central problem.
In January 2026, representatives from several Jewish organizations met directly with Paula Stannard, director of HHS's Office for Civil Rights, to discuss potential action. The Brandeis Center, which reported on the meeting, described the problems identified as "wide-ranging," spanning patients, providers, and healthcare students across educational institutions, hospitals, medical associations, and professional conferences.
The Union and Politics Dimension
The hearing's full title signals that its scope goes beyond individual incidents. The inclusion of "politics" and "unions" points toward scrutiny of organized advocacy within the health care workforce, particularly networks that have taken public positions on the conflict in Gaza.
The Anti-Defamation League has documented the activities of Healthcare Workers for Palestine, a network the ADL reports has spread claims (including allegations that Israel stole Palestinian organs) that the ADL characterizes as drawing on antisemitic tropes. Healthcare Workers for Palestine disputes that characterization, stating on its website that efforts to label its advocacy as antisemitic are designed to silence criticism of Israel rather than address genuine Jew-hatred. Both perspectives are on record and are likely to surface in the hearing.
StandWithUs, a pro-Israel advocacy organization, published a report documenting what it describes as a surge in antisemitic conduct among health care professionals following the October 7 Hamas attack, including accounts from nurses and doctors. One account cited a former University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing instructor who described students dismissing professors for not holding what were characterized as "appropriate world views." StandWithUs is an advocacy organization with an explicit pro-Israel mission.
A Continuing Line of Inquiry
During the 118th Congress, the same Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions held a hearing titled "Confronting Union Antisemitism: Protecting Workers from Big Labor Abuses," which examined what members described as unions putting "politics over people." The May 20 hearing appears to extend that inquiry specifically into the health care sector.
The Hearing
The subcommittee meets Wednesday, May 20. Rep. Rick Allen chairs the subcommittee, with Rep. Mark DeSaulnier serving as ranking member. No witness list had been published as of this writing.
Access the Legis1 platform for comprehensive political news, data, and insights.