Linda McMahon, a businesswoman U.S. President Donald Trump nominated to be U.S. education secretary, told a Senate committee on Thursday that she would support a commission to investigate how well colleges and universities are fighting the surge in Jew-hatred since the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) told McMahon during the hearing that “antisemitism has become endemic in our universities” and asked the nominee if she would form a new panel to tackle Jew-hatred. “Yes, I would,” she said, inviting Marshall and perhaps other senators on the committee to work with her.

The increase in antisemitic incidents on college campuses came up repeatedly during McMahon’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

“We have seen the most unbelievable pro-terrorist propaganda, and again these universities taking federal money, getting federal funds, not protecting Jewish students, permitting encampments, permitting violence in some instances, attacks on students on their campuses,” said Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). “Will you enforce the law to the hilt and will you make sure Jewish Americans are safe on our campuses are safe, for heaven sake?”

“Absolutely, or face defunding,” McMahon responded.

She told Hawley—who was interrupted twice by protesters, who were removed quickly from the hearing room—that she would move to revoke student visas from foreign students threatening Jewish peers on campus. Revoking such visas would send foreign students back home.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) called the outbreak of antisemitism on campus “disgusting, frankly.” 

McMahon drew a line between protected speech and the attacks on Jewish students.

“I truly believe there should be First Amendment protection for discourse and for freedom of speech,” she said. “But when you become involved in activities that are actually endangering the students that are on campus, that is not what should not happen and those schools that accept federal funding that allow that to happen should face defunding.”

Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) said that the Trump administration has put several members of the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights on administrative leave. OCR is charged with responding to complaints about antisemitism, among other alleged bias. Republicans in Congress have proposed sharp cuts to the office. (JNS has reported that OCR rushed to reach agreements with schools in the final days of the Biden administration, according to experts.)

“I would want to make sure we had everything we need to have in place to protect our students on campuses,” Kim said. “I’m frustrated because I feel like this is such a clear place where we just can say, ‘Yes, we want to make sure we have as much resources as possible to be able to fight antisemitism.’”

“When we see a surge in antisemitism, of course, we should have a surge in resources to focus on that,” he added.

McMahon said she would review the staffing once she was confirmed and said she would report back to Kim. She declined to respond to the actions already taken or the GOP proposals to cut funding for the office.

That led Kim to say that “this whole debate feels like it’s untethered from just the reality on the ground.”

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