In a nearly three-minute opening statement before appropriators in the Senate, the Secretary of Education said: miguel cardona I've mentioned almost every major issue in higher education today, with the exception of campus unrest.
Cardona spoke for the first time after lobbying from Republicans about protests, encampments and anti-Semitism on campuses across the country, and what the department is doing to support students.
“You have more immediate recourses, such as removing federal funds from an institution that receives them … in violation of Title VI,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-Va.). state) told Cardona during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Tuesday. “Is that what you mean?”
“What's happening on our campuses is abhorrent,” Cardona told Capito, later adding, “If the school ultimately refuses to comply with Title VI, yes, we will eliminate federal funding.” he added.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a federal antidiscrimination law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of common ancestry, ethnic characteristics, or national origin.
In recent days, many Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, have called on Cardona to cut federal funding to universities for not cracking down hard enough on anti-Semitism.
During the hearing, senators grilled Mr. Cardona on how his department responded to the unrest that rocked college campuses across the country.
“I urge you to take action to protect Jewish students and restore order on college campuses across the country,” Moore Capito said in her opening remarks.
Subcommittee Ranking Member Moore Capito and Labor Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Lindsey Graham (R-Kan.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), and John Kennedy. (R-Labada) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) last week sent a letter to Cardona and Attorney General Merrick Garland urging the department and federal law enforcement agencies to He called on the university to “restore order” on campus. The senators suggested that the Education Ministry cancel the visas of exchange students and other foreigners who took part in the protests.
