U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) have sent a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, criticizing the Department of Education (DOE) for allowing federal funds to be used by universities promoting extremist, anti-Israel views.
The senators highlighted that since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack in Israel, which killed over 1,200 people, incidents of harassment and violence against Jewish students have risen on college campuses.
They accused the Department of Education of funneling taxpayer money to programs that may be contributing to this surge of antisemitism rather than combating it.
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According to the lawmakers, starting in 2020, the Department allocated $283 million in foreign studies grants under the Title VI National Resource Centers (NRC) and Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) programs.
More than $22.1 million of this funding has reportedly gone to Middle East studies programs at institutions like Columbia University and Georgetown University, where professors with extreme anti-Israel views have been cited in grant applications.
The senators expressed alarm over the use of federal funds to support courses taught by Columbia University Professor Joseph Massad. Following the Hamas attack, Massad published an article describing the attack as “a stunning victory of the Palestinian resistance.”
The letter questions why taxpayer dollars are being used to fund a course by a professor who they argue supports terrorist actions and spreads anti-Israel propaganda.
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Blackburn and Lummis demanded that the Biden-Harris administration cease using taxpayer money to support professors who promote hatred against Israel, a key U.S. ally in the Middle East.
They warned that such funding could violate congressional mandates outlined in Title VI, which aims to ensure taxpayer dollars are used in accordance with U.S. national interests and legal requirements.
The senators are seeking clarity on whether these federal grants align with the intent of the law and are calling for a review of how the funds are allocated.
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