A Defunding Bill for Universities that Boycott Israel

Universities that give in to anti-Israel and antisemitic groups on their campuses by agreeing to cut ties with Israel might soon face a big penalty — if a new bill in Congress passes, which it probably will — they could lose their federal funding.

U.S. Representatives Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) introduced a bill on Tuesday called "The Protect Economic Freedom Act" that would stop federal money from going to universities that join the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. This would mean they wouldn't get federal student aid anymore. Schools would have to prove they're not involved in commercial boycotts against Israel.

“Enough is enough. Appeasing the anti-Semitic mobs on college campuses threatens the safety of Jewish students and faculty and it undermines the relationship between the US and one of our strongest allies. If an institution is going to capitulate to the BDS movement, there will be consequences — starting with the Protect Economic Freedom Act,” Foxx, who leads the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, stated.

Gottheimer explained that this law is needed because of the rising anti-Semitism at colleges. He pointed out that while students can freely express their views on the Gaza conflict, boycotting Israel puts Jewish students and others at risk.

“The goal of the anti-Semitic BDS movement is to annihilate the democratic State of Israel, America’s critical ally in the global fight against terror. While students and faculty are free to speak their minds and disagree on policy issues, we cannot allow anti-Semitism to run rampant and risk the safety and security of Jewish students, staff, faculty, and guests on college campuses,” Gottheimer said. “The new bipartisan Protect Economic Freedom Act will give the Department of Education a critical new tool to combat the anti-Semitic BDS movement on college campuses. Now more than ever, we must take the necessary steps to protect our Jewish community.”

The bill requires the U.S. Department of Education to keep track of universities that don't confirm they're not boycotting Israel. This list will be made public.

This legislation doesn't just cut funding; by making this information public, it warns alumni about their school's actions, possibly leading them to stop donating. For instance, big donors at Harvard have already withheld millions due to the university's handling of anti-Semitism.

Since the attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in southern Israel, universities have been dealing with a lot of controversy over campus anti-Semitism. After the attacks, many students and faculty held protests against Israel, with some groups at schools like Harvard and Columbia even blaming Israel and supporting Hamas.

Now, universities that have largely ignored calls for common decency, as seen in their lack of action against anti-Semitic student behavior, face the possibility of losing federal aid, including student financial support. This could make students and faculty very upset with the anti-Semitic protesters, the faculty who support them, and the administrators who complied with their demands. It might be interesting to see how these administrators react when they have to distance themselves from the BDS movement for financial reasons.

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