US House passes bill penalizing universities that boycott Israel

The US House has passed a bill aimed at cutting off federal support for universities that boycott Israel or limit academic exchanges with the country. The Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act passed by 237 votes to 169, with 33 Democrats joining most Republicans and two Republicans voting against it.

The measure targets colleges and universities that take part in boycotts while participating in federal student-aid programs. It also requires institutions receiving federal funding for international study and foreign-language programs to certify each year that they do not restrict students from joining programs in Israel or prevent Israeli students from participating in programs on their campuses.

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This legislation is about a simple principle: our colleges and universities should not discriminate against Israel, Israeli institutions or Israeli students, and federal taxpayer dollars should never support institutions that engage in such discrimination.

Republican leaders brought the bill to the floor as they seek to expose divisions among Democrats on contentious issues before the midterm elections. Tim Walberg, the Republican chair of the House education committee, said, “This legislation is about a simple principle: our colleges and universities should not discriminate against Israel, Israeli institutions or Israeli students, and federal taxpayer dollars should never support institutions that engage in such discrimination.”

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No college or university has embraced the BDS movement anyway. So, we should combat antisemitism wherever it occurs, but we should not do so by punishing protected speech or conflating a student’s view with university policies.

Calls for universities to join the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement intensified among some student and faculty groups after the Oct. 7 attack and Israel’s invasion of Gaza. Those efforts have largely failed to persuade university administrators. Bobby Scott, the top Democrat on the education committee, called the bill unnecessary and warned that it could conflict with First Amendment protections for protest. “No college or university has embraced the BDS movement anyway,” he said, arguing that universities should combat antisemitism without punishing protected speech or equating student views with institutional policy.

Josh Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat who co-sponsored the bill with Republican Virginia Foxx, called it “narrow and tailored” and said it was needed to combat antisemitism. The vote came as support for Israel continues to divide House Democrats. In July, more than 100 House Democrats backed legislation that would cut off some military aid to Israel.

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Narrow and tailored