A bipartisan bill introduced by Representatives Virginia Foxx (R‑NC) and Josh Gottheimer (D‑NJ) aims to deny federal student aid to colleges that endorse or participate in boycotts of Israel under the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act would block Title IV federal funding unless institutions certify they do not support commercial or academic boycotts proposed by the BDS movement.
Representative Foxx called the legislation necessary to eradicate “the antisemitic rot that has corroded college campuses” and protect Jewish students, faculty, and staff. Thomas Gottheimer added the bill addresses threats faced by Jewish students—including death threats, assaults, and exclusion from class—and ensures they can speak freely and receive their education. The bill requires schools to formally certify they are not participating in or facilitating politically motivated boycotts of Israel. Failure to comply would result in loss of federal student aid.
This move follows growing federal pressure under the Trump administration to tie university money to handling of campus antisemitism and pro‑Palestinian protest activity. Recent federal actions have frozen grants to UCLA, Columbia, Brown and Harvard for alleged failures to address anti‑Israel protests and antisemitic environments . Meanwhile FEMA has linked $1.9 billion in disaster relief to anti-boycott pledges at the state level.
The bill asserts that BDS is not a protected category of political speech but a movement aimed at Israel’s destruction, and that academic institutions aligning with its agenda undermine public ally interests and campus safety. Conservative and pro-Israel advocates see the proposal as a logical extension of anti‑BDS laws already in place across 38 states.
Critics warn the legislation may infringe on free speech rights and blur the line between viewpoint regulation and discrimination. Such concerns echo challenges to previous state anti‑BDS laws under the First Amendment.
