Congressman Josh Gottheimer and Chair of the Board of Trustees, Andrew Bursky, discuss the state of American universities. (Eran Fann | Photo Editor)

Rep. Josh Gottheimer spoke to a select group of WashU students about the ongoing government shutdown, the state of American universities, bipartisanship and compromise in Congress, and the future of AI in a fireside chat last Friday.

Gottheimer, a Democrat representing New Jersey’s Fifth Congressional District, was joined by Andrew “Andy” Bursky, the chairman of the WashU board of trustees. The event was open to selected attendees including members of Student Union and WashU Hillel as well as graduate students and students who are New Jersey constituents

Gottheimer held a meet and greet with students at a reception after the event. Later that evening, Gottheimer, who is Jewish, met with a smaller group of students from WashU Hillel and Chabad to have Shabbat dinner.

Student Union president and senior Ashton Lee introduced the event. He said that he found the discussion to be “enlightening.” 

“We have a great ally in Washington [D.C.] for the University [in Gottheimer],” Lee said in an interview with Student Life.

While Gottheimer expressed reluctance about revealing details of negotiations in public, he said that there are ongoing talks between members of the House of Representatives and the Senate to find a resolution to the current impasse in the ongoing government shutdown. The House is currently out of session at the behest of Speaker Mike Johnson.

“I will tell you that many of us are working right now in the House and the Senate together to try to work something out, and I’ve been working assiduously since this shutdown happened to try to figure out a way forward,” Gottheimer said. “We have many ideas on the table, and I’m hoping we are able to get past them.”

Gottheimer emphasized the urgency of ending the shutdown, noting its impact on Americans and federal government programs. During a government shutdown, nonessential federal workers are furloughed and essential workers are expected to work without pay.

“[The shutdown is] very dangerous to seniors, for food, to our veterans, to our service members,” Gottheimer said. “Projects get frozen, there’s no certainty — shutdowns are not a way to run a country.”

Gottheimer complimented WashU’s administration and the University’s national standing, specifically praising its response to campus protests and its emphasis on letting students “have these debates with civility.”

“Your reputation in Washington, around the country, among people who look at universities, is at the top. … I’d much rather have a WashU kid than a Harvard kid,” Gottheimer, a Harvard alumnus, said. This comment resulted in a round of applause from the audience.

Gottheimer said he agreed with President Donald Trump that some kind of action should be taken against universities that mishandled the protests over the war in Gaza. However, he expressed concern about “that process,” noting that the Trump administration’s recent cuts to research funding could harm medical advancement. 

“The idea that in that process, we would punitively punish research, healthcare research involved in life saving medicine makes zero sense to me,” Gottheimer said. 

He also criticized the administration’s recent actions against international students. 

“In the same way, it makes zero sense when we train a very smart mind that comes out of WashU and then don’t let them stay here to actually work in our country and give back and help our economy,” Gottheimer said. 

Bursky affirmed his belief in free expression while acknowledging that it requires a balance, including certain regulations of protests on college campuses.

“[Campuses] have been places where we have worked hard to sustain the freedom of expression and free exchange of ideas,” Bursky said. “On the other hand, these are also places of community — they’re places where we want all of our citizens, no matter what their beliefs are or where they come from, to feel safe, like this is home.”

Gottheimer agreed with Bursky’s opinion and argued that a balance was necessary on campuses.

“I’m a huge believer in academic freedom and expression, and that’s what’s great about our country,” Gottheimer said. “But how you do it really matters. And that’s so A, others feel welcome, and B, so that people are not isolated and excommunicated from their community.”

In contrast to WashU’s response to protests over Gaza and allegations of antisemitism on campus, Gottheimer criticized universities like Columbia and Rutgers that he said “completely blew it.” 

He said that while WashU has remained a space where Jewish students feel safe on campus, students and administrators from other elite institutions “pushed out” Jewish students from their campus communities.

“I think you’ve seen a lot of universities take a look afterwards and say, ‘We didn’t handle this right,’” Gottheimer said in an interview with Student Life after the event. “And a lot of students did not feel welcome in the classroom, in their dorms, and on campus.” 

Junior Matthew Isaacs, a constituent who worked for three summers in Gottheimer’s office, commended the congressman’s bipartisanship.

“I think what always has made him such a great politician, in my mind, is that he really emphasizes bipartisanship and kind of crossing the partisan divide to actually get things done that people care about,” Isaacs said.

Bursky, who has worked with Gottheimer in his capacity as a cofounder of the centrist political organization No Labels, also praised Gottheimer’s bipartisan credentials.

“Josh [Gottheimer] and I’ve been friends for a long time — I have enormous respect for this guy,” Bursky said. “He’s taken stands at times that have been exceedingly unpopular, and when he believes he has something important to say and he knows it’s unpopular, he’ll just say it louder.” 

Gottheimer has been a part of compromises in Congress as a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. He said, however, that some of his colleagues are “purely performative.”  Gottheimer also said that he believes members of Congress can find agreement on 90% of issues and that members of Congress should use civility when legislating.

“When we vote, you’d be shocked — most things that will get on the floor we agree on. … Most bills, you can find common sense ground, bipartisan ground,” Gottheimer said. “What gets the most attention is the fights.” 

Gottheimer highlighted the value that building relationships has played for him in his work in Washington so that he has channels of dialogue to the other side during crises like the ongoing shutdown.

Gottheimer, who serves on the House Intelligence Committee, specializing in the Middle East region, also discussed his experience visiting nations like Jordan and Iraq and collecting information from on-the-ground sources. When asked by Bursky whether the recent ceasefire in Gaza would lead to a lasting peace, Gottheimer said that he was “hugely optimistic.” 

Gottheimer also warned against the spread of disinformation and AI deepfakes and advised students to be “really critical about what you read” and to learn how to effectively use AI in their future careers.

“If you know how to actually implement it and maximize it, right, and be smart about how you use it, you’ll be really successful. But if you don’t, that’s when you’ll be left behind,” Gottheimer said.

Overall, Gottheimer emphasized the importance of maintaining democratic processes and the free exchange of ideas in a respectful manner.

“I want you to really feel that it’s OK to have different perspectives and debate,” he said.