WASHINGTON — A US Senate panel launched a probe Wednesday of New York Metropolis Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration, citing “severe considerations” concerning the “rescission of government orders associated to antisemitism and boycotts of Israel.”
Senate Well being, Schooling, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Invoice Cassidy (R-La.) wrote a letter to Mamdani asking whether or not the scrapping of the orders would hamper the enforcement of civil rights legislation — thus risking the revocation of $2.2 billion in federal funds.
“Antisemitism just isn’t an summary concern in New York Metropolis; it’s a lived actuality for tens of millions of scholars and residents, and its penalties are very severe,” Cassidy instructed Mamdani within the letter reviewed by The Put up.
“Choices by your administration that weaken established safeguards for Jewish college students in New York and are out of alignment with federal government orders warrant cautious scrutiny,” he stated.
“Jewish college students deserve clear assurance that their security and civil rights is not going to be compromised by your administration’s actions.”
A January survey discovered that a majority of Jewish voters (53%) within the Huge Apple felt threatened by the Democratic socialist mayor’s statements and related remarks by his allies.
Mamdani voided each government order signed by former New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams for the reason that day his predecessor was indicted on federal corruption expenses in September 2024.
That included a June 8, 2025, order that “created the Mayor’s Workplace to Fight Antisemitism to determine and develop efforts to get rid of antisemitism and anti-Jewish hate crime,” and the Dec. 2 order that yr opposed boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) insurance policies concerning Israel.
Mamdani referred to as Israel an apartheid state and backed the controversial BDS motion earlier than taking workplace.
Cassidy in his letter stated the previous order used the Worldwide Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.
“Opposite to your public assertions that ‘plenty of main Jewish organizations have immense considerations round [the IHRA] definition,’ many governments, worldwide establishments, universities, NGOs, and personal organizations broadly acknowledge and encourage use of this definition to determine and tackle modern types of antisemitism,” the Senate HELP chairman wrote.
Mamdani has additionally criticized the definition for conflating criticism of Israel and Zionism with antisemitism.
“I’m somebody who has supported and assist BDS and nonviolent approaches to handle Israeli state violence,” he beforehand instructed Bloomberg Information.
The latter Adams order additionally barred mayoral appointees, contracting officers and departmental heads from enacting insurance policies that discriminated in opposition to Israel or Israeli residents.
Workers on the New York Metropolis Division of Well being this week created a working group which will have been banned underneath Adams for accusing Israel of genocide.
The workers’ “International Oppression and Public Well being Working Group” held a gathering Tuesday afternoon the place a presenter listed one in all its goals as responding “to the continuing genocide in Palestine,” The Put up first reported.
Cassidy additionally cautioned in his missive that the New York Metropolis Division of Schooling was in line to obtain $2.2 billion in federal funding for its working price range, as of June 2025.
“Continued eligibility for this funding is contingent on compliance with federal civil rights legal guidelines and relevant government orders designed to guard college students,” the GOP chairman stated.
Cassidy requested Mamdani to elucidate how his administration will “fight antisemitism at faculties” and “defend Jewish college students,” to share one other doable definition of antisemitism it plans to undertake or any steering its offered to varsities on the dealing with of complaints.
He additionally requested whether or not the Mamdani administration “consulted with the US Division of Schooling,” “the Division of Justice or some other federal company concerning the potential funding implications of rescinding the IHRA-related government order.”
And he demanded clarification on the mayor’s stance concerning the BDS motion.
Mamdani’s reply is anticipated by Feb. 19, Cassidy wrote. Reps for the mayor didn’t instantly remark.
