Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., on Sunday urged the Trump administration to cut off federal funding to the University of Michigan after a professor appeared to praise anti‑Israel student activists who illegally set up a campus encampment following Oct. 7, 2023.
“It’s unacceptable for any university professor to praise chaos that glorified America’s enemies, justified violence, and terrorized Jewish students,” Scott wrote Saturday on X. “If this is what Americans are paying for, it’s time to cut them off COMPLETELY.”
According to the university’s website, the University of Michigan received at least $1.17 billionopens in a new tab in federal taxpayer funding during fiscal year 2024.
Scott’s remarks followed comments by University of Michigan professor Derek Peterson during the school’s spring 2026 commencement ceremony, in which Peterson publicly praised pro‑Palestinian student activists who had participated in the now‑dismantled encampment.
“Sing for the pro‑Palestinian student activists, who have for these past two years opened our hearts to the injustice and inhumanity of Israel’s war in Gaza,” Peterson said during the ceremony.
University administrators previously determined that the encampment posed a safety risk to the campus community and violated university policies. The encampment also resulted in vandalism of campus property, according to reporting by The College Fixopens in a new tab.
