Over 30 Democrats in the House of Representatives Thursday voted in favor of a measure to strip colleges and universities of federal aid if they are engaged in so-called boycotts against Israel. The bill, led by North Carolina Republican Virginia Foxx, aims to rewrite the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prevent institutions taking part in "a nonexpressive commercial boycott of Israel" from receiving federal funding that stems from the original bill. The 237-169 vote on the House floor meant the legislation, known as the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2026, passed and is headed for the Senate.
Newsweek reached out to Foxx's office for comment Thursday morning, with her spokesperson pointing to a post on X, in which she said, "This legislation has true teeth and completely severs any possible taxpayer support of these concrete campaigns of antisemitism in the form of BDS and academic boycotts of Israel. The Senate should take it up immediately!" The legislation would prohibit colleges and universities that receive federal education funding from participating in certain commercial boycotts of Israel and would require schools receiving international education funds to certify that students and faculty can participate in academic programs in Israel on the same terms as programs in other countries. Supporters say the measure would combat discrimination against Israel and protect academic exchange programs, while opponents argue it could restrict political activism and free-expression rights on campus.
The vote comes amid a profound shift in American attitudes toward Israel, especially within the Democratic Party. Gallup found in February that 65 percent of Democrats sympathized more with Palestinians and 17 percent with Israelis, while Americans overall were statistically divided, with 41 percent choosing Palestinians and 36 percent Israelis. Republicans remain markedly more supportive of Israel, but Pew polling indicates that unfavorable views have also risen among younger Republicans and that negative perceptions of both Israel and its government have increased across party lines.
While 33 Democrats approved the bill, alongside 203 Republicans, 167 were against the measure, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, and South Carolina's James Clyburn. The vote highlights an increasing divide inside the Democratic Party. Many Democratic lawmakers continue to support legislation presented as combating antisemitism or protecting Jewish students, but Democratic voters have moved sharply away from Israel during the war in Gaza.
Critics of such measures also contend that efforts to police antisemitism can sometimes blur the distinction between anti-Jewish hatred and criticism of the Israeli government, raising concerns about freedom of speech and pro-Palestinian advocacy on college campuses. Ahead of the vote, New York Representative Jerry Nadler said he felt that the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which the bill directly seeks to tackle, could veer into antisemitism, and that he overall disagreed with the movement. That did not prevent him from voting against the bill, he said in a statement.
"No matter how much I may disagree with BDS, and find it strategically stupid and morally repugnant, I will always fight to protect Americans’ right to speech with which I disagree," he said. "It is the only way to ensure speech I do agree with is equally protected." The two Republicans to vote against the bill were Kentucky's Thomas Massie and Ohio's Warren Davidson. The real significance of the vote lays in that some Democratic Representatives approved the measure while the party’s voters are moving toward a much more critical view of Israel, creating pressure on party leaders to distinguish clearly between protecting Jewish students and restricting criticism of Israeli policy.
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