By ALAN WOOTEN | THE CENTER SQUARE
Legislation to “cut off federal aid for grown adults who are breaking our laws, spewing antisemitism, and openly embracing terrorists” has been proposed by a North Carolina senator and eight other Republicans.
The No HAMAS Act – as the acronym is played in No Higher education Assistance for Mobs of Antisemitic and terrorist Sympathizing Students – would revoke federal student financial assistance for students who are convicted of trespassing, rioting, or damaging property while protesting at a higher education institution. Students convicted would lose their eligibility for any federal grant, loan, or work assistance.
Mobs of pro-Hamas students have flagrantly violated the law, destroyed campus property, and resorted to violence against fellow students and law enforcement,” said U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who led introduction of the proposal with eight other Republican senators. “Hardworking taxpayers shouldn’t have to keep paying for the college tuition of convicted lawbreakers. The No Hamas Act is commonsense legislation that will cut off federal aid for grown adults who are breaking our laws, spewing antisemitism, and openly embracing terrorists.”
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona appeared Tuesday for the lower chamber’s Education and Workforce Committee. He was asked point-blank by U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., chairwoman of the panel, if the Biden administration’s program shifting repayment of college loans from students to taxpayers should include taxpayers paying off those students who are antisemitic and stopping Jewish students from going to class.
Cardona gave neither yes or no for an answer. He said students breaking the law and disrupting the educational environment should be held accountable; said his department is committed to campus safety; and said he condemns hate and violence on campus. Foxx never got a yes on three attempts.
Campus Safety Magazine, a leader in tracking the protests of the war between Israel and Hamas, on Friday listed 88 campuses impacted. Situations have grabbed significant media coverage at the Ivy League’s Columbia University in New York City, Southern Cal and UCLA in Los Angeles, in Oxford at Ole Miss, at Northwestern in Evanston, Ill., and in the nation’s capital at George Washington University. Throughout the country, evidence has emerged that not all protestors are students.
In North Carolina, the famed Polk Place quad at UNC Chapel Hill was the scene of the American flag being lowered and replaced with the flag of Palestine. Interim Chancellor Lee Roberts, a security detail and some fraternity brothers were instrumental in Old Glory’s return atop the pole. UNC Charlotte and Wake Forest are also on the Campus Safety Magazine list.
Other Republican senators with Tillis on Senate Resolution 4302 were Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch of Idaho, Ted Cruz of Texas, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Steve Daines of Montana, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Pete Ricketts of Nebraska.
“In Joe Biden’s America, hardworking taxpayers are forced to aid Hamas-sympathizing students who blatantly violate the law by trespassing and destroying campus property,” Blackburn said.
Chapel Hill native Keith Siegel, whose family was hosted by U.S. Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., at the State of the Union last month, is among the Americans being held hostage by Hamas.
Separate legislation filed by U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., would prevent any college or university student convicted of any offense while protesting at a higher education institution from having their federal student loans forgiven, cancelled, waived or modified.
This is what must happen ! Remember the saying “Love it or Leave it “…..it makes me sick to see this happening all over our country.
Not a firm believer in the 1st ammendment eh?
No Greg, nobody is infringing on their rights to voice their opinions. We just decline the privilege to support them financially, when they break the law. In fact that should be a standard for all student loans. Break the law loose your taxpayer provided funding.
> Senate proposal strips Hamas-sympathizing students of federal aid
Because focusing on a foreign country while yours has open borders letting God knows who in and has already hit the iceberg debt is totally the best thing to do.
We have one of the most feckless and corrupt political classes in our nations history- across parties. As most of us are not part of the donor class, we just don’t matter.
Think that’s bad? There’s another bill in the senate that will put people on the federal no fly list for being punished by colleges. No due process, no hearing in front of a court, just an email from a college administrator.
S.4274 sponsored by Marsha Blackburn
Great idea.
It’ll never happen.
Good idea. I’m sure Peltola, Murky will vote against it.
Pro-Palestine does not equal pro-Hamas. The MAGA mindset these days, If you don’t think the way we do, we will punish you! Hence the disarray in the House. All hail the MAGA God before he becomes a convicted felon! When he is convicted and is not allowed to vote in NY until he serves his confinement sentence, will Florida still follow their voting rules and deny him the opportunity to vote?
Wrong.
Pro-palastine IS pro hamass. There is only a minor difference between a member of hamass and a palestinian. (If there actually is such a thing as a palastenian)
The hamass murders innocent Jewish woman and children. The palestinian does not murder them, but instead cheers it on, video records it, takes in hostages for hamass, etc… etc… etc…
Oh, and your public school education is showing.
If Trump is registered to vote in NY (he is), he is not registered to vote in FL. So, in one way, you are correct. Florida will not take any action concerning Trump’s ability to vote.
CBMTTek: incorrect. Trump registered to vote in Florida in October 2019.
Ah, I did not know that.
Well, then he cannot legally vote in NY regardless of whether he is convicted or not. Again, demonstrating A4F’s complete and total lack of knowledge about… well about everything.
I agree with this totally. This garbage needs to stop and this is how it’s done. The little spoiled adults can be shown that when you act like a traitor there are consequences. No one that is living in the USA has any business protesting something that has ZERO to do with them with this war in Israel.
Especially brats infecting Liberal colleges causing nothing but a distraction.
Pull their funding and kick them out. Watch them cry foul then!
Strip ALL higher education students of federal aid. American taxpayers are no longer Obligated to fund their education. Any adult pursuing higher education is a personal matter. Let the adult student and parent fund their choice themselves.
*what gives the Senate believe it can remove tax-payers dollars from students who need disciplinary action by the universities. This is a private matter between Universities and students. If they complete this action future elected members of Senate and house would do the same to students enrolled at Christian universities using the same play that tax-payers dollars shouldn’t be funding Christian universities. However again I believe No adult student should be collecting federal or state aid in a loan, scholarship or grant for a personal choice they have made. Let them do the adult action pay for their own higher education themselves.
Think about it How much could States save and our collapsing America could save if tax-payers were no longer paying for higher education.
Less government and more Americans will have no choice except work and build back up the private sector.
Won’t go anywhere with a leftist majority in the Senate.
Never saw the government get this worked up about BLM riots or anti white hate. In fact I recall DHS repeatedly telling America it was “Far right White supremacy” that was the boogeyman. Yet White people are the founders and pay most of the taxes . White Nationalism bad, Jewish nationalism good?
BLM did not occupy College campuses. BLM protestors did not receive Federal Student Aid.
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Break the rules when you are receiving Federal aid, expect to see consequences.
So we should have cut off the welfare checks and EBT cards of the BLM rioters who burned down whole city blocks, set police vehicles on fire, blocked roads, and assulted, and in some cases even killed people? Good to know for next time.
If that was proposed, I would absolutely support it 100… no…. 1,000%.
Break the law, live with the consequences.
Like I said before, this is working out better than HAMAS expected. Look how it’s tearing this country apart.
It should not be specific. Any student who espouses violence or breaks laws should lose funding and be expelled. And many of these biased universities should lose federal funding too. They are not producing competent graduates and are diminishing the reputation of American universities.
If federal aid were not being handed out to begin with, it wouldn’t be an issue. There, problem solved.
Does our constitution allow any of the following? To have hate in your heart. To be personally prejudiced against a particular identity. To speak hatefully. To speak in praise of criminals. To criticize your government. To speak like you are racist. To speak like you are xenophobic. To speak critically of homosexuality.
As reprehensible as the above characteristics may be, our constitution allows for them. As much as I agree with the sentiments of these legislators, as a conservative-libertarian-patriotic-constitutionalist, I believe they are on a slippery slope. If the anti-Semitic/pro-Hamas demonstrators are as bad as as they appear, we don’t need more laws to prove it. If they commit acts of violence or vandalism they should be prosecuted with no need to add political or ideological components to our laws.
If we are free then we have the right of free association. Hence we can choose to like things or we can choose not to. If we do not have this liberty then we are not free.
In retrospect, the Civil Rights of 1964- no matter how I agree on some of its precepts- one could mark as a beginning of much less liberty in modern America.
I would add that as an American who had to seek religious exemptions in 2020, I was constantly asked about my religious views and to explain them in detail to employers and the federal government. Part of the 1964 Civil Rights Act made this illegal and protected religious liberty. Yet this was a widespread practice in 2020-2023 and effected (and punished) many Americans. The lesson is laws are abided only at the convenience and deference of the powerful. “Laws for thee, but not for me.”
If the “protesters” were not receiving Federal Student Aid, and were not violating the rules of the campus, there would be no issue. However, receive the hand out to support your education, then break the rules of your campus, and there are consequences.
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Had the protest just been a protest. And the “occupy” people left when told to, instead of doubling down. No issue. But, instead of respecting the rules, they openly ignored them.
CBMTek, you are absolutely correct. I believe your point should apply to any “protester” regardless of the purpose of their cause; whether it be in support of, or in protest against, Hamas.
Agree totally.
If anti-abortion protestors were to vandalize property, occupy administrative buildings, and refuse to disperse when legally obligated to do so, pull their Federal Aid as well.
Yes it does.
Trespassing, rioting, damaging property are already crimes. University students convicted of those crimes should be punished according to the law. “Spewing antisemitism” is, in fact, speech that is protected by the first amendment. We cannot legitimately make a special law for the criticism of one particular religion. How about students expressing anti-Christian or anti-Muslim sentiments? They get a pass? For the record, I don’t believe any such thing as “hate speech” even exists. It’s all just speech, and in a free country, we should be completely free to express ourselves, save for the usually cited “yelling “fire” in a crowded theater” example.
Once you start making exceptions, freedom is lost.
MJohn, your points are refreshing to those of us trying to preserve the ideals of our constitution. Let us continue this worthy endeavor as fellow true patriots.
If we were to embrace Muslim culture we should utilize stonings, beheadings, and ocassionally tossing a homosexual off a rooftop as punishment.
To those more concerned with their own ability to spew antisemitic vitriol, don’t worry this proposed bill doesn’t stop you. Here’s what the text of the bill says:
Section 484 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1091) is amended by adding at the end the following:
INDIVIDUALS CONVICTED OF TRESPASSING OR DAMAGING INSTITUTIONAL PROPERTY. An individual described in paragraph (2) shall not be eligible to receive any grant, loan, or work assistance under this title.
(2) AFFECTED INDIVIDUALS.—An individual described in this paragraph is an individual who is convicted of any offense under any Federal or State law based on conduct occurring at and during the course of a protest that occurs at an institution of higher education; and involving unlawful assembly, rioting, or trespassing on the campus (as such term is defined in section 485(f)(6)) of an institution of higher education; or damaging property of an institution of higher education.’’
It doesn’t infringe upon anyone’s right to hate Jews.
Hogwash.
Where’s the logic of a political leader that promotes killing of the citizens of a country to avoid critical analysis of his own criminal actions? Netanyahu has shown himself as ann inhumane inhuman. His actions show how he curries favor with his own cabinet full of Goebbels, Bormans, Himmlers, Freislers, etc.
Why should Americans aid in a campaign of a foreign country and its despot killing its own citizens? Oh? Did I say Israel is a foreign country? Is it or is it not a territory of the USA? Oh? Did I say Palestine citizens are Israelis? If not, why does Israel keep encroaching on Palestinian territory just like Putin entrenched itself in Crimea, took it over and putin tried to do the same thing to the Ukraine?
Mrs N.,
Thanks for being upfront and honest by clearly labeling your rant for what it is…hogwash.
Mrs N, your points make sense in the context that you framed them. We hope the content of the discussed legislation preserves the constitutional right of anyone to make such points as long as you do not step across the line and cause vandalism or violence. However, the name of the act itself, and the indications of commenters above, leave confusion as to exactly what the act does.
What is Palestinian territory?
There is clear archeological evidence that the Jews were in that land several thousand years ago, whereas the “palestinians” are there less 1,500 (at best). If anyone is occupying another people’s territory, it is the sub-human animals of hamass, islam, and the “palestinians.”
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And, last time I checked, the Israelis have shown incredible restraint in their response to islamic terrorism over the last 60 years. That any muslim still breathes air in the middle east is testament to that restraint. It always amazes me that radical islamic terrorist can launch hundreds of unguided missiles into civilian neighborhoods every year, and the news media bends over backwards to excuse those acts of war. Well, NEWS FLASH! They went too far on October 7th, and are getting the payback they so richly deserve.
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The dildo of consequences rarely arrives lubed. The morons who support hamass are getting exactly what they deserve.
And, one more point, Mrs. N.
It does not matter what Netanyahu and the Israelis are doing. Even if, and that is a MASSIVE IF, they are on a genocidal campaign against the islamic terrorists and those who support them, it does not excuse the criminal actions of the protestors.
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Break the law, and suffer the consequences, and these students are about to find that out.
If the student supports palastine, They are supporting hamass.
There is no way to separate the two.
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Additional info. If you support hamass, or any muslim for that matter, you support slavery. It is perfectly OK in that so-called religion to enslave infidels. It is not just OK, it is an obligation.
The millions of dollars of bribes, I’m sorry, “campaign contributions”, that AIPAC is handing out to Congress is bearing fruit! Rumor has it that after disgraced House Speaker MIke Johnson secured 16 billion dollars of funding to Israel he received a 95 thousand dollar bribe, I mean “campaign contribution”, from AIPAC.
How about we start with the bloodshed at home:
Strip federal aid from any student or institution donating to or doing business with Planned Parenthood, who have killed more innocent children than Hamas and Israel combined.
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