Reps. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) and Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) reintroduced legislation to bar universities from boycotting Israel.
The “Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act” would prohibit federal funds from going to any college that “participates in a nonexpressive commercial boycott” as part of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against the Jewish state.
“The antisemitic rot that has corroded college campuses must be eradicated. Enough is enough,” Foxx stated on Wednesday.
“The safety and security of Jewish students, faculty and staff should never be threatened under any circumstances,” she said. “If an institution of higher education chooses to capitulate to the caustic BDS movement, there will be consequences, starting with this bipartisan legislation.”
Anti-Israel activists on college campuses frequently demand that their universities divest from Israel-linked companies and impose an academic boycott on Israeli institutions.
That movement has been countered in some states by legislation and by some universities. In July, the University of California, Los Angeles barred its subsidiary entities, including student governments, from participating in boycotts of countries.
Gottheimer said that the aims of the BDS movement are ultimately to target Jews.
“The goal of the BDS movement is the destruction of the democratic State of Israel, America’s critical ally in the global fight against terror,” Gottheimer stated. “BDS has no place on college campuses or anywhere in our country.”
“At a time when our Jewish students are facing death threats, being physically assaulted and blocked from going to class simply for who they are, we must do everything possible to ensure they can learn safely, speak freely and get the education they deserve,” he said.
The bill would require universities receiving funds under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to certify to the U.S. secretary of education that they will not boycott any “major strategic partner of the United States,” referring to a law that designates Israel as such a partner.
Opponents of anti-BDS legislation argue that boycotts are protected under the First Amendment, but courts have generally ruled that boycotts are economic activity and not protected free expression.
Foxx and Gottheimer introduced similar legislation in 2024. It did not proceed to a vote in Congress.