Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana has opened a formal investigation into Democratic New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani over what he describes as actions that embolden antisemitism and put Jewish New Yorkers in harms way.
According to Conservative Daily News, the probe centers on Mamdanis decision in January not to renew two key executive orders originally signed by former New York City Mayor Eric Adams in 2025, both aimed at countering antisemitism and anti-Israel activism within city institutions. One Adams order had expanded the citys definition of antisemitism in line with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, while another barred city officials from participating in the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.
Cassidy, who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, laid out his concerns in a letter to Mamdani, writing that he has serious concerns about the democratic socialist mayors decision to rescind the protections. From a conservative standpoint, Mamdanis move appears to signal a troubling willingness to placate radical, anti-Israel elements on the left at the expense of Jewish safety and basic civil rights.
The senator underscored that New York Citys Department of Education (DOE) is heavily reliant on federal dollars, noting that as of June 2025 the DOEs operating budget reflected $2.2 billion in total federal funding. Cassidy warned Mamdani that the citys continued eligibility for this funding is contingent on compliance with federal civil rights laws and applicable executive orders designed to protect students, making clear that Washington has leverage if New York fails to protect Jewish children.
New York City is home to the largest Jewish community outside of Israel, with approximately 1.77 million Jewish residentsabout 9.1 percent of the states total population, Cassidy wrote, stressing the gravity of Mamdanis policy shift. Strong leadership against antisemitism and discrimination is essential to the safety and security of Jewish New Yorkers. 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.
It is my job to ensure every student feels safe, and at a time when Jewish students feel scared, I am concerned your actions will only exacerbate their fears, the Louisiana Republican added, aligning his oversight role with a broader conservative insistence on law and order and equal protection. Mamdanis office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundations request for comment, leaving unanswered why a mayor of a city with such a large Jewish population would dismantle safeguards against antisemitic hostility.
Cassidy later amplified his message in a public statement on X, writing that whatever somebodys ideological background, if theyre in a position of responsibility, they must protect their citizens. He continued, Clearly, antisemitism has been on the rise, adding, We must respond to real dangers directed at Jewish students.
Mamdani has already drawn fire for his anti-Israel rhetoric and his refusal to explicitly denounce the slogan globalize the intifada, a phrase widely regarded as a call to violence against Jews. With antisemitic incidents climbing nationwide since the lefts increasingly radical stance on Israel, Cassidys investigation signals that at least some in Congress are prepared to use federal authority to push back, defend Jewish communities, and hold progressive city leaders accountable when they appear to side with activists over public safety.
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