Mike Lawler Applauds Stripping Federal Funds From Universities For Allowing ‘Antisemitism To Run Wild’

Forbes Breaking News

During a town hall event on Sunday, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) spoke about the withholding of funds to certain higher education institutions over noncompliance with federal standards.

Transcript

00:002-8-0-0-3-0.

00:042-8-0-0-3-0.

00:10So, actually, let me address the office situation, because that's actually an important point.

00:28Folks, please, everybody came in here, whether you like me or not, whether you like my answers

00:34or not, just please try to abide by the rules so that everybody else has the opportunity

00:41and we can get through more questions.

00:44But just screaming and yelling at each other is not solving anything.

00:47So the fact is, with respect to the Rockland County Social Security Office, they shut it

00:54down in May of last year for renovations, and they told us it would be open by September.

01:03They didn't even start renovations until December.

01:07Then they told us it would be reopening this May, and now it's projected to be September.

01:15The failure to actually get this office renovated, obviously in a timely manner, is absurd.

01:23It's absolutely absurd.

01:26And the White Plains Office that has been subject to discussion.

01:32The White Plains Office is not a full Social Security Office.

01:35It is a field hearing office, and it was a massive space that they were under-utilizing.

01:41And so the Biden administration notified my office in December, in December, that they

01:47were shutting down that office.

01:49They were not going to renew the lease, which was come due this May.

01:56I have reached out to the administration repeatedly for the purpose of trying to come up with a solution

02:03to make sure that there is a field hearing office within vicinity.

02:08My goal, my objective, is to get the Rockland office when it is reopened, hopefully by September,

02:15when it is reopened in West Nyack, where we are, that it would also include a field hearing

02:21office so that everybody in our area has the ability to utilize that without having to travel.

02:27Now, 80-plus percent of the hearings are now virtual because technology obviously has been

02:35extremely helpful.

02:37But for those that need the physical location, my objective is to get a solution with the

02:44administration that includes using the Rockland office as a field hearing office for those

02:50who need it.

02:54Congressman, we do have the person who had the ticket that was pulled.

02:58I'm going to let her answer the question back here.

03:00Oh, sorry.

03:01Okay.

03:02Sorry.

03:03Okay.

03:04Okay.

03:05I just want to know what is your position on holding federal and federal

03:22funds back from institutions and trying to hold hostage big corporations.

03:35Can you...

03:37Withholding funds from...

03:41Are you talking about like colleges?

03:43Federal funds from our institutions of higher education.

03:52Oh, okay.

03:53Sorry.

03:54So, in the instance of the two most obvious examples of that have been Columbia and Harvard

04:05in the last few weeks.

04:08And from my vantage point, I have said from the very beginning that the issue of anti-Semitism

04:14on these college campuses is a major one.

04:20And if you look at federal law, Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act requires these institutions

04:35to enforce federal law and crack down on anti-Semitism.

04:41They have...

04:42They have, in large measure, failed in that responsibility.

04:48And so, I introduce legislation...

04:51You guys think Columbia and Harvard did a great job dealing with those college protests?

04:58Listen...

05:00Listen...

05:04Those institutions take federal dollars.

05:09They are, quote unquote, private institutions that take federal dollars and have...

05:16Yes, for research, but it is still federal taxpayer money.

05:20You are required...

05:22You are required...

05:24You are required to uphold federal law.

05:27Period.

05:28Full stop.

05:29There is no if, ands, or buts about that.

05:32And so, last Congress, I introduced legislation that absolutely would strip any of these institutions

05:39of higher learning of federal dollars if they promoted or sanctioned anti-Semitism on their campuses.

05:45Period.

05:46And, in addition, in addition, I introduced the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act to enforce Title VI.

05:58I also introduced a bill that would put a 10% tax on their endowments.

06:07Because the fact is, they should be using their endowments to lessen the cost of college.

06:12And they are not doing that effectively.

06:14And so, they should be taxed at a higher rate if they are acting as a hedge fund.

06:19Period.

06:20And I would think, for those that want to tax the rich, that you would want these institutions

06:24that are looking and acting like hedge funds to actually be taxed at a higher rate.

06:31Now, in addition to that, in addition to that, I would also say the flow of foreign dollars

06:38into our universities and institutions from countries like Qatar and China needs to be cracked down on.

06:46Because they are using those dollars to exert control over what is being taught in these institutions

06:53by endowing a chair.

06:55They are endowing a chair.

06:57I find it fascinating that you guys support this.

07:01It really is interesting.

07:02So, they are using federal dollars to actually endow chairs and teach certain curricula that

07:12undermines the United States and the free world.

07:16And that's fascinating that you support that.

07:20So, I have no problem with the administration withholding federal dollars, taxpayer money,

07:27to universities like Harvard and Columbia that have allowed anti-Semitism to run wild on their campuses.

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