Senate Republicans question years of Department of Education funding of campus antisemitic activities.
Republican Senator Jim Risch (R-IO) and half a dozen Republican senators have penned a letter to US Education secretary Miguel Cardona demanding answers after finding evidence that the Department of Education is funding antisemitic activities on American college campuses.
“The US government has failed to address the widespread antisemitism taking place on college campuses & is even allowing taxpayer dollars to fund antisemitic events,” Risch said on Twitter, announcing his effort to bring the issue to light.
“We must hold the Dept. accountable for making Jewish & pro-Israel students feel less safe,” he added.
“The Senator is demanding answers from the Department of Education regarding these practices and the growing safety issues Jewish students and allies of Israel face on these campuses,” Risch said in a statement on his website.
It referred to the Higher Education Act (HEA)’s Title VI requirement that mandates college programs using federal dollars “reflect diverse perspectives and a wide range of views.”
According to the signatories of the letter, “many Near East and Middle East programs are failing to meet this requirement.”
“Because of the widespread antisemitism taking place on college campuses, many Jewish and pro-Israel students no longer feel safe. In fact, universities with faculty who actively support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israel were 3.6 times more likely to have their Jewish and pro-Israel students targeted for physical harm on campus,” the letter said.
“Unsurprisingly, a core reason college campuses are plagued by antisemitism is because professors who teach the curriculum indoctrinate students with anti-Israel bias and viewpoints,” the letter added.
“Americans rightly reject antisemitism – including antisemitic demonization of Israel. It’s clear more needs to be done to prevent our tax dollars being used to spread this poison on our campuses,” Brooks said.
“Senator Risch and his colleagues are right to demand accountability from the Department of Education, which is responsible for protecting Jewish students’ civil rights and ensuring balance in taxpayer-funded area studies programs.”
Source: Arutz 7