Senator Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused President Donald Trump of “weaponizing antisemitism” in his decision to cut federal funding to certain universities for failing to protect Jewish students.

Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish politician in the US, posted on social media on Holocaust Remembrance Day, “Stop disgracefully weaponizing antisemitism to attack universities.”

Schumer joined other Jewish Democratic senators in urging the Trump administration to abandon its current policy. His statement followed a letter addressed directly written to the president by Schumer and four fellow Democrats—Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Adam Schiff of California and Brian Schatz of Hawaii.

“[Trump’s] failing to address the real problem of antisemitism—instead using this crisis as a pretext to attack those who disagree,” they wrote.

The senators wrote that they were disturbed by Trump’s “broad and extralegal attacks against universities and higher education institutions as well as members of their communities.”

The letter added that Trump’s actions “seem to go far beyond combating antisemitism, using what is a real crisis as a pretext to attack people and institutions who do not agree with you.”

The senators claimed that Trump was “undermining or even destroying these vital institutions while hiding behind claims of tackling antisemitism as a guise” and requested that the president answer certain questions posed in the letter by April 30.

The missive follows Harvard University’s announcement that it would sue the Trump Administration for its decision to cancel $2 billion in funding.

At a campaign rally last August in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Trump accused the Democrats of siding with Hamas and anti-Israel factions on the far-left in the U.S., labeling Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer a “proud member” of the terrorist group.?

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