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Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina; called for the resignation of U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Tuesday criticized him for failing to denounce the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” as anti-Semitic.
reference A Jewish Insider ReportFox said in a statement that Cardona's refusal to recognize slogans used by pro-Palestinian protesters as anti-Semitic amounted to “cowardly evasion.”
“Unfortunately, this is just the latest example in a long record of abject failures,” Fox, who chairs the House Education and Workforce Committee, said in a statement. Foxx's comments came in comments he made to reporters from a Jewish media outlet on Tuesday.
In his remarks, Cardona said the department has a strategy to address anti-Semitism that focuses specifically on the issue, adding that no student should feel “unable to be who they are confidently because of campus circumstances.”
In a statement provided to K-12 Dive on Wednesday, a department spokesperson said: “Secretary Cardona has consistently maintained that calls for genocide should never be tolerated, that anti-Semitism can include anti-Zionist rhetoric, and that university leaders have a responsibility to act when students feel unsafe on campus. “I have argued so strongly.”
“He and the department are well aware that many people find this slogan threatening and anti-Semitic,” the spokesperson said. “Students should never feel unsafe on campus, and the Office for Civil Rights will continue to investigate universities to address hostile learning environments to ensure the safety of all students.”
Cardona received additional criticism from some followers of He said he was “deeply disturbed” by the increase in anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian harassment. At school.
But he Antisemitism specifically mentioned previously In relation to the Department of Education's anti-Semitism awareness campaign and efforts to address discrimination against Jewish students.
I have been deeply shocked by the recent surge in anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian bullying in schools. And we have been tragically reminded of how easily hatred can turn into violence.
Hate has no place in America's classrooms or college campuses. https://t.co/ihU2eYMofD
— Secretary Miguel Cardona (@SecCardona) February 6, 2024
Foxx's call for Cardona's resignation comes as House Republicans failed to vote Tuesday night to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over alleged failures on immigration and border security.
In addition to allegations of anti-Semitism, Foxx alleged that the U.S. Department of Education under Cardona devoted resources to “unconstitutional schemes rooted in willful contempt for the Constitution and the rule of law.”
She also said the agency had “mistaken and willfully misused taxpayer dollars” and “intentionally exceeded its statutory authority” due to “exaggerated spending,” which led the agency to “fail two recent audits.” The audit of the division's fiscal year financial statements conducted by KPMG LLC included the following: Letter to Cardona, January 17 Foxx and Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-Pennsylvania.
Foxx also criticized the department's handling of the recent overhaul. Apply for federal student aid for free. The rollout of the new form has been plagued by delays and technical glitches, which have raised concerns it could lead to tight turnaround times for universities to decide which students will be offered scholarships and where they will attend.