- Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) wrote to U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon on Sept. 10, 2025, warning of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)’s efforts to influence K-12 schools, following CAIR’s August announcement of partnerships with schools in Pennsylvania and Delaware to promote “inclusivity,” which Cotton views as a vehicle for injecting radical ideologies.
- CAIR has documented ties to pro-Hamas terrorist organizations and its support for Hamas activities, citing the U.S. Department of Justice’s designation of CAIR as part of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestine Committee.
- The letter urges the Department of Education to block CAIR from promoting its “pro-terrorist, anti-Israel ideology” in schools, emphasizing the need to protect American students from extremism.
- In a parallel effort, Cotton requested an IRS investigation in August 2025 into CAIR’s nonprofit status due to its alleged Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood connections, underscoring broader concerns about foreign-linked extremism infiltrating U.S. institutions.