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, including on college

campuses. and my friend from south carolina, senator scott, and i have worked on legislation not just this year but for nanny years on this issue. we introduced together the anti-semitism awareness act and have been trying to get that passed into law. the significant rise in anti-semitism across the country on college campuses has made me and i know so many other members of the house and the senate in both parties increasingly concerned regarding the safety of jewish students on campus. students, of course, have the right to peacefully protest. but when it crosses a line, either into violence or discrimination, then we have an obligation to step in and stop that conduct. i stood on this floor in late 2022 to speak about this

subject, anti-semitism in america. and the exponential rise we're seeing in the years leading up to that point in time to 2022. i spoke in particular about the hateful anti-semitism that led to the murder of 11 pittsburghers at the tree of life synagogue. at that time we were calculating the numbers as being much higher for 2020, 2021, and going into 2022. but after october 7 when a terrorist -- band of terrorist, hamas, went into israel and killed 1200 innocent civil yans, since that date -- civilians, since that date the rise in anti-semitism across the country and across the world has increased even beyond what we thought were exponentially high

numbers in 2022. the antidefamation league has tracked the highest number of anti-semitic incidents ever in the united states in 2023. these numbers have undoubtedly continued to rise with the ongoing campus protests. there were over 8,800 instances including 21:77 cases of vandalism and 161 assaults. we cannot tolerate any form of anti-semitism, abroad or here at home in america, on college campuses, in the workplace, at our schools, wherever we find it, we have to take action against it. to address the 140% increase -- just imagine that. 140% increase in anti-semitic incidents compared to last year, i've introduced several bills aiming to strengthen civil rights enforcement against

antiaccept tichl. -- anti-semitism. the anti-semitism awareness act i made reference to earlier, working with a bipartisan set of senators -- would mandate the department of education considers a widely accepted definition of anti-semitism in carrying out its enforcement actions. the department of education has an office of civil rights. that office is empowered to conduct these investigations. and we have to provide more funding, by the way, for that office to do these investigations. they are badly, badly underfunded right now. but senator scott and i have worked together on this anti-semitism legislation for almost a decade now, since 2016. i want to thank our colleagues in the house who passed the anti-semitism awareness act of 2023. yesterday with a vote of 320-91. however, one finding in the house bill is different from my and senator scott's bill, and

the biden administration's countering anti-semitism strategy. that the use of anti-semitism definitions impairs enforcement. taking this finding out is important because other definition, of anti-semitism also help to address this terrible problem. but what's even more important is passing this bill today with the unique opportunity that we have. in the senate we must take up this bill and pass it and pass it today. the hotline to all senate offices went out today. but objections on both sides of the aisle prevented us from bringing our bill to the floor. we must bring to the floor and pass it today. but that's not all that is needed to counter discrimination and harms on college campuses. the office, as i mentioned earlier, the office responsible for enforcing antidiscrimination laws, the department of education's office of civil rights, is is and i'll say it

again, is badly, severely underfunded. that's why i'm leading the showing up for students act, which would double the funding for the office of civil rights to investigate incidents of harassment and discrimination, including anti-semitism on college campuses nationwide. in the months following the terrorist group hamas' attack on israel, the office for civil rights has seen more than -- a more than 1,300% increase in compliance related to discrimination and harmed based upon shared ancestry, including acts of anti-semitism at schools across the united states. this shows no signs of abating. we must meet the moment and ensure that students can learn free from anti-semitism, free from discrimination, and all -- all -- forms of hate. we must pass the anti-semitism awareness act today to ensure that jewish students on campuses

or any else in our