Rick Scott cautions colleges: Combat antisemitism or lose federal funding

EXCLUSIVE — Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) released an open letter to university presidents on Tuesday expressing his “profound concern” with the wave of antisemitism at college campuses.

University administrators have come under growing GOP scrutiny for their handling of pro-Palestinian protests that have at times devolved into vandalism and acts of harassment against Jewish students. Police have been called in to disband or contain the protests, but the light touch used by some presidents has prompted calls for congressional action.

Scott, who has emphasized support for Israel during his first term in the Senate, said students had “surpassed” their free speech rights and that he would attempt to “rescind every last cent of taxpayer funding of any institution that condones” antisemitism.

He promised to “do everything in my power” to investigate those universities believed to be violating the Civil Rights Act.

“As the leader of your university, you must recognize that if you condone the lawlessness and chaos of pro-Hamas demonstrators on your campus, with full knowledge that it threatens the safety and well-being of Jewish students, you are endorsing it,” Scott said in the letter, first obtained by the Washington Examiner.

Many of the encampments, erected in protest of Israel’s casualty-heavy war in Gaza, were taken down ahead of graduation season, but protest organizers at various universities have suggested they could return.

Scott said it is imperative that university presidents not allow campus disruptions as the summer semester gets underway, listing instances of violent clashes and pro-Hamas chants at universities.

“You can help restore trust in your institution and reaffirm the values that universities and the United States should uphold,” he said.

Scott has taken other steps to address the encampments. He called on District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser to testify before Congress over her city’s police response to protests at George Washington University, while Scott visited the campus twice earlier this month to express solidarity with the Jewish community there.

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Both parties have roundly denounced the antisemitism at college campuses, but Democrats have been forced to walk a tightrope as their left flank criticizes the way Israel has conducted its war, spurred by the Oct. 7, 2023, invasion by Hamas. President Joe Biden has simultaneously condemned antisemitism while warning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to conduct a ground operation in Rafah, a densely populated stronghold for the terrorist group.

Republicans continue to highlight the matter with hearings and other legislative action. On Thursday, the presidents of Rutgers University, Northwestern University, and the University of California, Los Angeles will testify before the House Education Committee as part of a chamber-wide effort to crack down on antisemitism.