U.S. House Passes Bill to Cut College Funding Over Israel Boycotts as 33 Democrats Break Ranks
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Thursday approved a bill that would cut federal aid to colleges and universities that take part in boycotts or
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Thursday approved a bill that would cut federal aid to colleges and universities that take part in boycotts or divestment campaigns targeting Israel, with 33 Democrats joining Republicans in the 237-169 vote. The measure now moves to the Senate.
The legislation, called the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2026, would rewrite the Higher Education Act of 1965 so schools engaged in what backers call a “nonexpressive commercial boycott of Israel” could lose access to federal funding. That language also reaches boycotts tied to Israeli settlements, according to the bill summary described in reporting on the vote.
Sharp split inside the Democratic caucus
Most Democrats opposed the measure. But the number of defections was large enough to give the bill a clear bipartisan edge. Republicans backed the proposal in force, while the Democratic supporters signaled how sharply the war over boycotts, Israel policy and campus politics now runs through Congress.
The bill was led by North Carolina Republican Virginia Foxx. Reporting on the vote also identified Democratic Representative Josh Gottheimer as a co-leader of the effort. Foxx’s office was contacted for comment Thursday morning.
The measure’s supporters cast it as a defense of academic exchange and economic ties with Israel. Critics of BDS — the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement backed by the Palestinian BDS National Committee — argue that such campaigns cross into discrimination. The movement itself says it seeks to end what it describes as complicity in Israel’s policies toward Palestinians.
What the bill would do
Under the House-passed text, institutions that engage in a boycott seen as aimed at Israel would risk federal money under the Higher Education Act. The bill focuses on “commercial” boycotts rather than expressive political speech, a distinction backers say is meant to protect First Amendment rights.
After the vote, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee praised Foxx and Gottheimer on X, calling the effort an important bipartisan step against the BDS campaign. AIPAC said the legislation would help protect pro-Israel students from discriminatory boycotts and preserve opportunities to study in Israel or learn from Israeli professors.
The issue has become part of a wider global fight over boycotts and institutional pressure tied to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Across Europe and elsewhere, cultural, academic and commercial boycotts have surfaced in response to the war in Gaza and to longstanding disputes over settlement activity. In the House, that broader clash is now headed for the Senate, where the bill’s fate remains uncertain.
For universities, the next step is clear enough. The Senate will decide whether schools can keep federal aid while taking part in boycotts of Israel — a test that could reshape campus activism, legal challenges and the politics of higher education well beyond Washington.
