by Ireland Owens
Republican Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy announced Thursday the launch of a probe into Democratic New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, citing concerns over his “recent actions that embolden antisemitism and put Jewish New Yorkers in harm’s way.”
In January, Mamdani decided not to renew an executive order signed by his predecessor, former New York City Mayor Eric Adams, in June 2025 that expanded the definition of antisemitism, as adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, Politico reported Thursday. He also failed to renew a separate order signed by Adams in December 2025, which prevented city officials from participating in the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.
Cassidy, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, wrote Wednesday in a letterto Mamdani that he has “serious concerns” about the democratic socialist’s recent rescission of the executive orders.
The senator mentioned the New York City Department of Education’s (DOE) dependence on federal funds, writing that as of June 2025, the city’s DOE’s operating budget “reflected $2.2 billion in total federal funding.” In his letter, Cassidy warned Mamdani that the “continued eligibility for this funding is contingent on compliance with federal civil rights laws and applicable executive orders designed to protect students.”
“New York City is home to the largest Jewish community outside of Israel, with approximately 1.77 million Jewish residents—about 9.1 percent of the state’s total population,” Cassidy wrote in his letter to Mamdani. “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.
Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request seeking comment.
Cassidy wrote Thursday in a statement posted to X that “whatever somebody’s ideological background, if they’re in a position of responsibility, they must protect their citizens.”
“Clearly, antisemitism has been on the rise,” he added in the social media post. “We must respond to real dangers directed at Jewish students.”
Mamdani has faced significant backlash over his anti-Israel rhetoric, and he has also previously failed to explicitly condemn the controversial phrase “globalize the intifada,” which is widely viewed as a call to violence against Jewish people.
Last week, Mamdani, at a press conference, asked the New York Legislature to help close a $12 billion budget deficit that New York City is facing in fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
Mamdani blamed Adams for the city’s budget shortfall.
The mayor stated the budget “imbalance has hollowed out our city’s finances and left us with a chasm that can no longer be sustained.”
“In 2025, under the banner of what he called the Best Budget Ever, former Mayor Eric Adams handed the next administration a poisoned chalice. He systematically under-budgeted services that New Yorkers rely on every single day,” Mandani said.
“Rental assistance, shelter, and special education, while quietly leaving behind enormous gaps for the future. And knowing his time in office was likely coming to an end, Mayor Adams chose political self-preservation over fiscal responsibility. This is not just bad governance. It is negligence,” he added.
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Ireland Owens is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation. Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
Photo “Zohran Mamdani” by Dmitryshein. CC BY-SA 4.0.
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