House Democrats fractured Thursday again as 33 members joined Republicans to restrict federal funding for colleges participating in anti-Israel boycotts.<\/p>\n
The House passed H.R. 4795, the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2026, by a decisive 237-169 vote.<\/p>\n
Thirty-three Democrats supported the measure, while 167 Democrats joined two Republicans in opposition to the legislation.<\/p>\n
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries voted against it, putting him opposite dozens of Democrats willing to confront anti-Israel campus boycotts.<\/p>\n
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and senior Democrat James Clyburn also opposed the bill, underscoring the party\u2019s increasingly visible Israel divide.<\/p>\n
Republicans Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Warren Davidson of Ohio were the only GOP lawmakers voting against the measure.<\/p>\n
North Carolina Republican Virginia Foxx sponsored the legislation, while New Jersey Democrat Josh Gottheimer joined as its Democratic co-sponsor.<\/p>\n
The bill would amend higher-education law by attaching major federal-funding consequences to certain institutional commercial boycotts targeting Israel.<\/p>\n
Covered colleges participating in a \u201cnonexpressive commercial boycott\u201d of Israel could become ineligible for specified federal higher-education funding.<\/p>\n
Federally supported institutions would also certify that students are not \u201cunreasonably obstructed\u201d from participating in academic programs located in Israel.<\/p>\n
Critics counter that punishing boycott participation could chill political expression protected by the First Amendment and interfere with academic independence.<\/p>\n
Gottheimer argued the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement seeks Israel\u2019s destruction and should have no place on American campuses.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goal of the BDS movement is the destruction of the democratic State of Israel,\u201d Gottheimer said.<\/p>\n
He called Israel \u201cAmerica\u2019s critical ally in the global fight against terror\u201d while defending the legislation against progressive criticism.<\/p>\n
Gottheimer also highlighted threats, assaults and classroom disruptions affecting Jewish students during bitter campus protests surrounding Israel.<\/p>\n
Foxx argued university boycott policies have created hostile environments by \u201cmarginalizing Jewish students\u201d and discriminating against people of Jewish faith.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow is not the time for talk,\u201d Foxx said while demanding congressional action against discriminatory institutional practices.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is the time for action,\u201d she added, framing federal funding as leverage against universities embracing qualifying boycotts.<\/p>\n
Progressive Democrats responded furiously, arguing the bill improperly converts political disagreement with Israel into grounds for losing federal educational support.<\/p>\n
New York Democrat Jerry Nadler said he opposes BDS but believes its supporters retain constitutional protections for political advocacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe First Amendment right to free speech does not apply only to agreeable speech,\u201d Nadler said.<\/p>\n
Michigan Democrat Rashida Tlaib delivered an even harsher denunciation, accusing lawmakers of suppressing pro-Palestinian activism and defending Israeli policies.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an attack on free speech and academic freedom,\u201d Tlaib declared during debate before the final vote.<\/p>\n
She described Israel as a \u201cgenocidal apartheid state,\u201d reflecting the increasingly hostile rhetoric surrounding Israel within progressive Democratic politics.<\/p>\n
Supporters rejected that framing, saying the legislation targets institutional commercial discrimination rather than students protesting or expressing political opinions.<\/p>\n
Thursday\u2019s vote follows an even larger Democratic rupture over Israel that erupted on the House floor in July.<\/p>\n
Massie\u2019s earlier amendment sought to eliminate $3.3 billion in annual American security assistance for Israel.<\/p>\n
The House rejected that proposal 314-104, but 103 Democrats joined Massie in voting to eliminate the funding.<\/p>\n
Only 98 Democrats opposed eliminating Israel assistance, while another 10 Democratic lawmakers voted present during that July showdown.<\/p>\n
Jeffries opposed the aid-cutting amendment, while Democratic Whip Katherine Clark broke with him and supported eliminating the proposed assistance.<\/p>\n
A June Quinnipiac survey found 66% of Democrats believed the United States was too supportive of Israel.<\/p>\n
The shift follows the Gaza war after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people.<\/p>\n
Republicans increasingly portray that shift as evidence that the Democratic activist base is moving sharply away from America\u2019s longtime ally.<\/p>\n
Democrats supporting Israel counter that criticism of its government can coexist with defending Jewish students and maintaining the bilateral alliance.<\/p>\n
H.R. 4795 now heads to the Senate, where its future will test whether Thursday\u2019s bipartisan House coalition can hold.<\/p>\n
For Jeffries, the vote underscored the growing difficulty of keeping Democrats united on Israel ahead of November\u2019s midterm elections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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