mr. thune: i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: mr. president, over the past couple weeks, we witnessed a wave of anti-semitism sweep college campuses across our country. under the guise of protest an old hatred has made an ugly return. not in some far corner of the world, which would be bad enough, but here in the united states in 2024. intimidation of jewish students, support for terrorists, calls

for violence against fellow americans. we've seen it all and more on college campuses over the past few weeks. too often, this repugnant rebehavior has been abetted by the action or inaction of campus faculty and administrators. jewish students simply walking around their campuses have heard things like hamas, we love you, burn tel aviv to the ground, from the river to the sea, we are hamas. every one of those slogans has been used at protests. a cbs article from a few days ago reported, and i quote, near columbia university, anti-semitic slogans, including go back to poland, were heard among the protestors' chants. in one video, a demonstrator can

be seen holding a sign that reads al qassam's next targets. that, of course, is the military wing of hamas. mr. president, go back to poland? al qassam's next targets? anyone hearing this could be forgiven for thinking we're in the 1930's germany instead of the united states of america, where i had hoped anti-semitism was a thing of the past. but apparently, it is a thing of the present. and i have to wonder how we as a society have failed our young people when they are incapable of opposing israel's policies without attacking the jewish people. when they think that any means are justified in pursuit of their goal, including the deliberate targeting and slaughtering of the innocent.

how have we gotten to a point where apparently substantial numbers of young people are identifying with terrorists, with an organization that mere months ago conducted a deadly rampage that left hundreds of israeli civilians, including children, dead, and saw more than 200 individuals, including children, taken into captivity? how have we got ton a point -- gotten to a point where we have jewish students afraid to walk across their own campuses, and in some instances being prevented from entering campus buildings? because, mr. president, that is where we are. jewish students on too many campuses right now are living in fear as intimidation and harassment of jewish students becomes increasingly commonplace. one jewish student at the university of washington, which

has also seen a protest encampment, had this to say, and i quote, when that, the protest, starts up, i do feel my heart pounding, and i'm very anxious to be here. this is olivia feldman, a senior at university of washington, and co-president of students supporting israel. she goes on to say, no, i do not feel safe on campus. i've been called names. i've been spit at. feldman is a great granddaughter of holocaust survivors. she goes on to say, as a very visceral feeling in me when someone tells me to go back to the gas chambers, she said. another jewish student, this one at columbia university said in february, and i quote, we have been attacked by sticks outside our library. we have been attacked by angry m

mobs. and we have been threatened to keep f-ing running, end quote. mr. president, this is sic sickening. the fact that this kind of behavior has become widespread on some of these college campuses should be prompting some serious soul-searching, as to how we have let things get to this point. and an immediate reckoning for students engaged in harassment, assault, or other unlawful behavior. in addition to action from universities and local law enforcement, the biden department of education and federal law enforcement should immediately step in to investigate and prosecute federal offenses. protest is one thing. colleges should be forums for debate and discussion, and every american, every american has a right to free speech, but we are a long way beyond mere lawful

protests. we're talking about the harassment of and assaults on jewish students, and it is time for immediate action, including law enforcement action where warranted to protect these people and ensure that they can attend school in safety. mr. president, it is hard to believe that here in the united states i'm having to say something about ensuring jewish students can attend school in safety, and i hope that in addition to swift action from school administrations and from law enforcement we spend some time thinking about what has gone wrong, what has gone wrong with education in this country, that we are facing a situation where jewish students are scared to go to class because of the actions of their fellow students. something has gone seriously

wrong when we have students at some of our top schools embracing the actions of, and identifying with, terrorists. that should be an unthinkable position. and i hope it will become again. finally, mr. president, where is president biden? the president has barely managed to summon up a word on this most recent wave of anti-semitism. i understand that he was preparing for the white house correspondents dinner. but perhaps he could have taken a moment away from practicing his jokes to address the fact that there are jewish students right now in the united states of america who are afraid to walk across their campuses. i'm also waiting to hear the attorney general and the secretary of education's response to a letter i sent with a number of my republican

colleagues regarding the administration's plans for enforcing federal law in relation to the anti-semitism and protests on our college campuses. no, i do not feel safe on campus. i've been called names. i've been spit at. it is a very visceral feeling in in me when someone tells me to go back to the gas chambers. something i repeat that olivia feldman, a student, has said. mr. president, it is time to take action, to close this disgraceful chapter, and to ensure that there are no more stories like olivia feldman's. morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. casey: thank you, mr. president. i rise today to speak against anti-semitism and to speak about efforts we're undertaking here in the senate to combat anti-semitism. we see it throughout our

society,