Newsmax: House Passes Bill Targeting College Israel Boycotts

The House passed a bill Thursday that would prohibit colleges participating in federal student aid programs from engaging in defined nonexpressive commercial boycotts of Israel.

Separately, institutions receiving certain Title VI international-education funding must certify that students aren't unreasonably obstructed from academic programs involving Israel.

The Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2026 passed 237-169, with 33 Democrats joining most Republicans in support and two Republicans voting in opposition. One independent also voted yes.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said he opposed the global ​boycott, divestment, and sanctions ​movement but opposed the bill because he supported Americans' right to free expression.

"It is the only way to ensure speech I do ​agree with is equally protected," Nadler said.

The bill's sponsors, including Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., said the bill was not intended to hinder academic speech or debate, but to prevent the targeting of Israel.

"It ​simply says that if your university takes federal ​taxpayer dollars, it can't discriminate against academic partnerships or investments with one country," Gottheimer said.

Top House Democrats voted against the legislation, while Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., was one of two Republicans who voted in opposition.

"Congress did one — and only one — thing today," Massie said in a statement. "The House passed a bill to withhold money from universities if they don't play nice with Israel."

"I voted no. It's not proper for our federal government to coerce universities into engaging with any particular foreign country," Massie added.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said he opposed the BDS movement but said the bill was poorly written.

"Our Jewish brothers and sisters deserve safety and security on campuses across the nation, and I continue to oppose the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement," Jeffries said in a statement.

"Unfortunately, HR 4795 is a poorly written Republican bill that does not achieve that goal," he added.

Jeffries warned the bill would provide the president with the ability to "punitively launch political attacks on our colleges and universities."

The minority leader vowed that Democrats will propose their own antisemitism legislation if they take back the majority in the midterm elections.

Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., who supported the legislation, said the BDS movement has led to what he called "the alarming rise of antisemitism on college campuses."

"Our universities should not use taxpayer-funded federal programs to discriminate against Israeli students, faculty, institutions, or businesses simply because they are Israeli," Walberg said.