The House passed a bill Thursday that would prohibit colleges from receiving federal student aid if they engage in commercial and academic boycotts against Israel.
Sponsored by GOP Reps. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act was approved in a 237-169 vote, mostly along party lines, with just two Republicans voting against and 33 Democrats voting in favor.
It now heads to the Senate.
Under the bill, federally funded institutions would be required to certify that they’re not engaging in a nonexpressive commercial boycott of Israel, such as refusing to deal with or terminating commercial ties with the country. If a university doesn’t affirm it, it forgoes the ability to receive federal student aid.
Institutions that participate in certain programs would also be required to verify that students are not “unreasonably obstructed” from participating in academic programs in Israel.
The war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas began with the terrorist attack of Oct. 7, 2023, when 1,200 Israelis were massacred and 240 taken hostage.
The conflict sparked widespread protests against Israel, with encampments and demands for economic and academic divestment across numerous U.S. college campuses.
President Trump’s administration has used federal funding suspensions and civil rights investigations to pressure universities over campus protests.
The administration contends that campus demonstrations crossed into antisemitism and supported extremism, asserting that universities failed to protect Jewish students.
The bill’s central target is boycott, divestment and sanctions, a Palestinian-led global movement against Israel.
“No student, no professor should be shut out of research, study abroad opportunities, academic partnerships, or feel unwelcome in the classroom because of where they’re from or what religion they practice,” Mr. Gottheimer said on the House floor Thursday. “Yet that’s what boycott, divest and sanction seeks to do, which targets one country and one religion: Israel and Judaism.”
He said his bill doesn’t touch freedom of speech, protests or academic debate.
“It simply says if your university takes federal taxpayer dollars, it can’t discriminate against academic partnerships or investments with one country,” he added.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, New York Democrat, also weighed in Thursday, saying, “No matter how much I may disagree with BDS, and find it strategically stupid and morally repugnant, I will always fight to protect Americans’ right to speech with which I disagree,” he said Thursday. “It is the only way to ensure speech I do agree with is equally protected.”
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