Memphis Standard

U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Cynthia Lummis have addressed a letter to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona concerning the department's allocation of federal funds to universities employing professors with anti-Israel views. The senators criticize the current administration for allegedly ignoring how these funds are used by academic institutions.

The letter points out that since 2020, $283 million in foreign studies grants have been awarded through the Title VI National Resource Centers and Foreign Language and Area Studies grant programs. A report from a government watchdog group highlighted that over $22.1 million was directed towards Middle Eastern studies, with Columbia University and Georgetown University being significant recipients.

Blackburn and Lummis specifically mention Columbia University Professor Joseph Massad, whose course received funding from a 2022-2023 FLAS grant amounting to $653,632. They express concern over Massad's article published in The Electronic Intifada, which described an attack by Hamas as "a stunning victory of the Palestinian resistance."

The senators argue that using taxpayer dollars in this manner could be against congressional mandates under Title VI. They urge the Biden-Harris administration to reconsider funding policies that support professors perceived as extremist or anti-Israel.

For further details, the full text of the letter is available online.