Republicans in Congress appear to be getting closer to taking action on universities allowing antisemitism to flourish on campus. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) released an open letter to university leadership on Tuesday threatening to cut federal funds if they refuse to address the rampant anti-Jewish bigotry that has been sweeping college campuses, according to an exclusive report from the Washington Examiner.

The letter comes as House Republicans are also planning to take action against universities over the pro-Hamas unrest occurring at their facilities. “Many of these institutions and their leadership made administrative decisions that failed to avert, mitigate or stop unlawful demonstrations and encampments on campuses,” Scott wrote. “Worse, many failed to take appropriate action to ensure the safety of Jewish students who faced the risk of horrific antisemitic verbal and physical attacks. This failure cannot happen again.”

The senator asserted that the unrest occurring on college campuses “surpassed the right to free speech” and said they “became a lawless display of support for terrorists and incitement of violent acts toward Israel and the Jewish people.”

The lawmaker also pointed to an incident at Columbia University where pro-Hamas activists “infiltrated a university building” and “held a janitor hostage” while chanting “We are Hamas.”

Scott contended that “As the leader of your university, you must recognize that if you condone the lawlessness and chaos of pro-Hamas demonstrators on your campus, with the full knowledge that it threatens the safety and well-being of Jewish students, you are endorsing it.”

House Republicans have also been vocal in their condemnations of the pro-Hamas antics at universities and, as noted, are making plans to address the matter.

Also on Tuesday, House Republicans announced a plan to combat the insanity. Speaker Mike Johnson's office said in a statement that the endeavor will include scrutinizing federal funding and tax benefits of universities that allow such activities, as well as crackdowns on foreign student visa recipients who foster sympathy for terrorist groups at U.S. colleges and universities.

In the statement, the speaker referenced the “absolute lawlessness and chaos on college and university campuses across America” and recounted how he and some of his colleagues went to Columbia “to meet with Jewish students there and to see that madness … for ourselves.”

Johnson referred to the “anti-Jewish hatred” as “appalling” and recounted stories from “students who are living in fear because of the pro-Hamas agitators who have taken over their campus.”

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Chairwoman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, also chimed in, saying that “College is not a park for play-acting juveniles or a battleground for radical activists.”

The GOP is pushing legislation that would expand the definition of antisemitism in a way that would allow the federal government to withhold funding from schools that allow anti-Jewish bigotry to flourish on their campuses.

“Actions have consequences,” she added.

As the summer semester begins, university leadership is under pressure to take substantive action against antisemitic activity on campus. Some universities are already facing lawsuits from Jewish students for failing to protect them from anti-Jewish violence. However, if Congress gets involved, it could finally push the universities to take the issue seriously.