US Representative Randy Feenstra is a Republican serving Iowa's 4th Congressional District since 2021. Prior to his time in Congress, he served in the Iowa State Senate.
This interview was edited for clarity.
Ari: Thank you so much for doing this. The first thing I want to ask you, because I'm sure our readers are curious, is that it's been unbelievably hard to follow everything in the past two weeks.
What’s it been like as a congressman after the inauguration? Are there a lot of surprises? How's everyone keeping up inside Congress?
Rep. Feenstra: Every day is a new day in Congress. We don't always know what to expect, but we do know this: Trump ran on this agenda. He's putting it into play, and he's doing it very quickly, which is exciting to see.
With the fast pace, we can't all keep up. In Congress, we have a lot of work to do to make sure that we follow through on it. It's tax cuts, building a wall, and energy independence. These are all the focused agenda items that we have to get done.
Ari: I know that you've been doing some work on the antisemitism that's prevalent across the country right now, even in your home state. Can you tell us about that and what your goals are on that issue?
Rep. Feenstra: This is important. I was told about it, and I couldn't believe it — so I did some digging. I sent a letter to the president of the National Association of Independent Schools, Debra Wilson. They had a conference in Denver, Colorado, where they had speakers talking about hateful rhetoric aimed at Israel.
When I heard about it, I thought, this can't be the case. As I dug into it, I found a speaker who claimed Israel was inherently and systematically a racist state. Another speaker accused Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinian people.
I thought to myself, wait a minute, this is a tax-exempt organization, and yet they're allowing this hateful speech. My questions to them in the letter were: I want a full, unedited video recording of the speakers. I want the transcripts.
I want correspondence between the National Independent Schools and the speaker in question. I also want to know the revenue. What did they pay for having these speakers there? How did this all take place? Did they do anything after the speech was done?
They never came out with a statement, so to me, this is awful, and I believe they should have their tax-exempt status pulled.
Ari: What role should Congress serve on this issue, and what efforts are you working on to stop this? It’s happening in many states.
Rep. Feenstra: Obviously, we know it's happening at universities, but now, when you have independent organizations like this, they're part of the federal government. They're getting dollars from us; they're getting a package of data from the federal government. When we hear hate speech, when they're inciting violence, when schools are intimidating students.
When you have that type of rhetoric, that's a huge problem. We have to look at that. We have to stop it in its tracks. We're going to pull your tax-exempt status if you're not going to do anything about this.
These students have to be dismissed or sent back to their own countries. We cannot allow this hate speech to flourish.
Ari: President Trump signed an executive order to ensure that students here on student visas participating in pro-Hamas speech and antisemitism will be sent back. Is the executive order enough, or will it also have to go through Congress as well?
Rep. Feenstra: The executive order was awesome, but we have to codify that in Congress. We have to make sure it becomes law. These schools should be held accountable.
We have to stand by the law and say that’s against the tax-exempt status of what's happening here. We need oversight and to pull tax-exempt status from these organizations if we're not sending kids back.
Ari: Some organizations traditionally aligned with these types of conservative efforts — but also focused on free speech, like FIRE — are pushing back, saying this is a Republican attack on free speech. Do you have thoughts on that argument?
Rep. Feenstra: First, it's a privilege to study in the US, but we do not accept hate speech or speech that incites violence. We follow our laws in this country, and under the First Amendment, you can say certain things, but you cannot incite violence or create hate speech.
That is wrong, and that's what has to be addressed.
Ari: Do you think there will be resistance in Congress from Democrats on this?
Rep. Feenstra: There might be. I'll give some Democrats the benefit of the doubt, like Debbie Wasserman Schultz out of Florida.
But others stand on the other side. I would love to debate them and ask what they're thinking. The biggest problem with Democrats is they don't know the facts. I've been to Israel multiple times. I was there last June.
I spoke with Benjamin Netanyahu. I saw exactly what happened several years ago. Once you know the facts, there is no way you should allow this to happen.
Ari: What were your thoughts on Trump and Bibi‘s recent press conference and the Trump administration's new Israel policies?
Rep. Feenstra: I support President Trump's mission to protect both Americans and Israelis from terrorism.
We need to pursue peace through strength. I told Benjamin Netanyahu last year to do everything to protect your people. We have to focus on protecting Israel. The United Nations is not doing that.
Ari: There’s a lot of negative sentiment from young people about Israel. Do you think cutting out these antisemitic elements from the country will solve the problem, or are there other things we should be focusing on?
Rep. Feenstra: First, we have to call it out. We as a country have to be loud and clear that this is wrong. It's shameful. We cannot allow hate speech or antisemitism. It has no place in this country. We must condemn it and root it out. We understand what has happened throughout history, and we have to be the first ones to stand up against it.
Ari: In terms of the universities that have been indoctrinating students with it, most of them have protected their antisemitic professors while punishing the conservative ones. Do you think there are actions to be taken against universities? I know some Republicans have floated taxing their endowments.
Rep. Feenstra: We had hearings on it in Ways and Means, which I sit on, and we are addressing it. These schools have to have their tax-exempt status pulled.
You do that, and they'll clean up fast because they'll no longer be a school. This antisemitic thought has to end.
Ari: What are your personal goals for the next four years under the Trump administration? What will you focus on?
Rep. Feenstra: The bottom line is, what can we do to create peace in the Middle East? There’s so much happening over there, from the downfall of Syria to what's happening in Lebanon and Iran. We have to be very strong.
Peace through strength is vital, but I like what President Trump has said. If Iran gets out of line, we will take action. We want everyone in the Middle East to know that we and Israel stand together.
Ari: There are more isolationist members of Congress that wouldn't agree with you but are still Republicans. What are your thoughts on them? Will they have any sway in these efforts?
Rep. Feenstra: I worry that people don't understand the global world.
We can't just be insular and not look out for our friends in the Middle East. This is history. We've had a great friendship, and we've seen what terrorism and hate do. It's important that we work together with Israel to make sure no one messes with us.
Also, young people have to stay involved. They have to tell their story. We can't hide. This is what has happened throughout history when no one stands up. That's why I'm yelling and screaming from the top of the mountain, saying we have a problem here, and we have to stop antisemitism.
Ari: What role do you think college students who agree with you should take this year?
Rep. Feenstra: They're the next generation, the next leaders. They have to be active on their college campuses.
They have to work with administration and leadership. They must tell Congress and others what's happening. We can't be silent on this hate speech.
If the National Association of Schools is doing this, they have to be called out, and we need to take action against them.
