Full Breakdown
House Panel Says Anti-Israel Activists Have Co-opted the American Psychological Association
By Drooid · · How we work
In this breakdown
01
Core Findings of the House Report
A new report from the House Committee on Education and the Workforce alleges that anti-Israel and anti-Jewish activists have “successfully co-opted” the American Psychological Association (APA), which represents roughly 190,000 psychologists. The panel cites internal emails and meeting minutes showing that APA leaders downplayed the Oct. 7 attacks, dismissed complaints from Jewish psychologists, and adopted language that frames Israel as a colonialist state. The report recommends that the U.S. Department of Education’s accreditation advisory committee suspend the APA’s recognition for one year.
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Background and APA Responses
Following the Oct. 7 attacks, the APA sought input from the American Arab, Middle Eastern and North African Psychological Association, which described the attacks as a “resistance action.” The association’s incoming president later urged removal of the phrase “terrorist attacks” from the APA’s public statement. APA president Thema Bryant praised psychologist Lara Sheehi for her “heart, truth, challenge and compassion” after Sheehi criticized claims that Jews are indigenous to Israel. Cynthia de las Fuentes, then president, thanked Sheehi for raising the issue. The APA’s ethnic-minority affairs committee warned that recognizing a Jewish ethnic group without “urgent, unapologetic action on Palestine” could reinforce inequities.
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Data and Governance
The House panel notes that the APA’s Council of Representatives approved a revised Jew-hatred resolution in February by a 127-37 vote, despite objections from the board and the Collaborative of Jewish Psychologists. The Department of Education’s accreditation advisory committee has recommended a one-year suspension of APA accreditation. The APA’s 2025 convention featured a session alleging “psychological operations tactics” used against Palestinians and student activists.
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Official Statements & Responses
Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee, argued that the APA’s leadership has allowed antisemitism to fester and turned the organization into a platform for political agendas. APA officials, including Bryant and de las Fuentes, defended their engagement with critics as a effort to address “problematic and racist language” and to balance concerns about Jew-hatred with broader issues of Islamophobia.
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Verbatim Quotes
- “For an organization dedicated to understanding human behavior, the APA has done a remarkable job of ignoring prejudice within its own ranks,” — Rep. Tim Walberg