PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Last week, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives withheld $33 million in taxpayer funding earmarked for the University of Pennsylvania’s veterinary school.
The legislation won a majority in two different votes but failed to reach the two-thirds majority required by the state Constitution.
Most Republicans opposed the funding, while every Democrat voted in favor of it. The House Republican floor leader spoke against it, saying the resignation of President Liz Magill earlier this month was a start, but that the university must do more to make it clear that it opposes antisemitism.
The funding is an annual appropriation that normally draws strong bipartisan support because of the school’s frontline role in helping train veterinarians and fight infectious disease outbreaks in Pennsylvania’s agricultural sector. It represents about 18% of the budget of Penn’s veterinary school.
Without the funding, farmers are growing concerned about the impact it might have on Pennsylvania’s agriculture.
“We really hope that there is a change and Penn Vet is funded the way it should be,” said Matthew Espenshade, a seventh-generation dairy farmer in Lancaster County and president of the Pennsylvania State Grange, which advocates for issues important to agriculture and rural communities.
“With farms going out of business, it’s becoming a further drive for veterinarians to visit one farm or multiple farms in a day, and it’s becoming a challenge because if there is an emergency on a farm, if there is a cow having a calf and she’s having difficulty, we need to contact a veterinarian. Time is of the essence, so it is very important that we can get proper veterinary care as soon as possible.”
Magill found herself at the center of controversy in early December following remarks she made on Capitol Hill during a hearing on antisemitism on college campuses.
When asked by New York Rep. Elise Stefanik whether calling for Jewish genocide violated the school’s harassment policies, Magill declined to give a direct yes or no response and called it “a context-dependent decision.”
Republicans have begun drafting legislation requiring institutions of higher education in Pennsylvania that receive state aid first adopt codes of conduct that make it clear that calling for genocide is bullying or harassment.