Republican Senator Slams Mamdani Over Revoking Two Pro-Israel Executive Orders, Also Demands Answers on BDS Support or Risk Federal Funding
New York City (QNN)- A Louisiana Republican has demanded New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani explain his civil rights policy regarding antisemitism, after Mamdani withdrew last month two pro-Israsl executive orders signed by his predecessor.
In a letter sent to Mamdani on Wednesday, Senator Bill Cassidy said he has "serious concerns" about the rescissions.
"As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), I find it deeply troubling that one of your first official acts as mayor was to revoke two executive orders designed to protect students and combat antisemitism," Cassidy claimed.
Given New York City's Department of Education has an operating budget that includes $2bn in federal funding, Cassidy said continued eligibility for those funds "is contingent on compliance with federal civil rights laws and applicable executive orders designed to protect students".
Decisions by your administration that weaken established safeguards for Jewish students in New York and are out of alignment with federal executive orders warrant careful scrutiny," the senator said.
Mamdani has until 19 February to respond to six questions listed by Cassidy in the letter, including how his administration defines antisemitism; how Jewish students will be protected; and whether the mayor himself believes that the Boycott, Sanctions, and Divestment (BDS) movement is antisemitic.
Three weeks before leaving office in December, New York City's former mayor, Eric Adams, signed two executive orders that would bar anti-Israel boycotts in municipal spaces, and prohibit protests directly outside places of worship.
Another now-nixed decree adopted a controversial definition of anti-Semitism from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).
On his first day in office, Mamdani wiped out all the executive orders Adams implemented after September 26, 2024.
Cassidy also invoked the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which is the one President Donald Trump adopted for his administration.
Critics of the IHRA definition say it conflates antisemitism with anti-Zionism, or criticism of historic and current policies that led to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 and the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes, and continuing human rights abuses against Palestinians and the occupation of Palestinian lands by Israel.
At least 38 states in the US have enacted anti-BDS laws to prevent anyone from taking on a contract with any contractor refusing to engage with Israeli companies, or even privately encouraging a boycott of Israeli goods and services. They also mandate avoiding any public investment funds that boycott Israel.
New York State already has an anti-BDS law. By signing one for New York City, Adams effectively cornered Mamdani - a longtime advocate of BDS - to either support the text or overturn it, both of which would likely elicit outrage.
New York City has the largest number of Jews outside of Israel, numbering about one million.
Mamdani has been a vocal critic of Israeli policies against Palestinians, prompting accusations of anti-Semitism from Israel’s supporters. But he has repeatedly promised to protect Jewish residents.
