Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., has urged Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to open a federal investigation into New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Stefanik said city health employees used taxpayer-funded time and resources to hold an anti-Israel meeting.
In a letter sent to Kennedy on Tuesday, Stefanik questioned whether staff at the city’s Department of Health violated federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination by agencies receiving federal funding. The New York Republican requested an investigation into how federal resources were used to organize the “Global Oppression and Public Health Working Group” that accused Israel of genocide.
“The use of federal funds to support or tolerate government-sponsored activities that veer into ideological advocacy or that risk emboldening hate is a grave matter with civil rights and public safety implications,” Stefanik wrote.
The group held its first meeting last Tuesday afternoon during work hours, with staff gathering at the department’s Long Island City headquarters, according to the New York Post. Video obtained by the Post shows a presenter stating the group was created “in response to the ongoing genocide in Palestine.”
“We really developed in response to the ongoing genocide in Palestine,” the presenter claimed. “And the working group aims to address the growing interests among the health department staff to learn about current and ongoing global oppression in its many forms and how it influences the advancement of health equity.”
Among the speakers was Dr. Weeam Hammoudeh, a Hunter College professor and committee member of the Palestine Global Mental Health Network, who has been accused to anti-Semitism. The hour-long presentation did not include any reference to Hamas’ radical Islamic terror attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that saw over 1,200 civilians murdered for simply being Jewish.
Stefanik asked HHS and its inspector general to investigate how federally funded resources — including staff time, facilities, and equipment — were allowed to be used to organize and promote the hate group.
She also called for a review of whether the activity violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by contributing to a hostile environment for Jewish employees or members of the public. The congresswoman requested an investigation into whether department leadership or City Hall officials approved the initiative.
Stefanik pointed to a surge in antisemitic hate crimes in New York City, noting that such hate crimes incidents rose 182 percent in January — Mamdani’s first month in office — compared to the same period last year. According to data released by the New York City Police Department, the Hate Crimes Task Force investigated 58 incidents in January 2026, compared with 23 in January 2025. Of those, 31 were antisemitic hate crimes, accounting for more than half of all hate crimes in the city.
Jews were targeted in more hate crimes than any other group, including Muslims, Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites combined. Jews make up about 10 percent of New York City’s population but were the victims of 54 percent of all hate crimes in the city in January.