Analysis · Floor speech · beta

Josh Gottheimer

Democrat on Protecting Economic and Academic Freedom 2026-09-02

198 words · 11 sentences · 17 clauses

Statement grade

Average 92 / 100

A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.

Procedure 11%Reasoning 27%Claims 55%The ask 8%

This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.

Mr. Speaker, Procedure · 21 wordsI rise in support of my bill with Ms. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act.¹Procedure Reasoning · 53 wordsNo student or professor should be shut out of research, study abroad opportunities, academic partnerships, or feel unwelcome in the classroom because of where they are from or what religion they practice. Yet, that is what boycott, divest, and sanction seeks to do, which targets one country and one religion: Israel and Judaism. Claims · 109 wordsMy bill prevents discriminatory BDS practices and policies from being enacted at universities that undermine academic freedom by cutting off study abroad, joint research and exchange, restricting students’ and faculty’s ability to study what and where they choose.² It is narrow, targeted, and doesn’t touch anyone’s speech. It doesn’t touch protest or academic debate. It simply says: If your university that takes federal taxpayer dollars, it can’t discriminate against academic partnerships or investments with one country.³ That is it. This has been our Federal funding policy for decades. This is why this bill passed out of committee with overwhelming bipartisanship support, including the ranking member and five other Democrats.⁴ The ask · 15 wordsI urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bipartisan bill.

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 88

1 of 1 deductions are Signal

Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.

Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “I rise in support of my bill with Ms. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · no score

Not applicable: nothing to answer. Excluded from the average.

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue.

Reasoning · 87

0 of 1 deductions are Reasoning

Reasoning checks for sound logic and solid support for any conclusion. A low score means the speaker made unsupported leaps or used weak arguments.

Nothing lost points.

Conclusions found · 1

Conclusion“I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bipartisan bill.”

Because“This has been our Federal funding policy for decades.”

“This is why this bill passed out of committee with overwhelming bipartisanship support, including the ranking member and five other Democrats.”

Reason given

Respect · no score

Not checked: graded before this measurement existed. Excluded from the average.

Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.

Clarity · 100

0 of 1 deductions are Clarity

Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.

Nothing lost points.

Claims · 4

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

1“my bill with Ms. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act”Josh Gottheimer introduced the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act with Virginia Foxx of North Carolina as co-sponsor.search
2“prevents discriminatory BDS practices and policies from being enacted at universities”The Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act prevents discriminatory BDS practices and policies from being enacted at universities.search
3“If your university that takes federal taxpayer dollars, it can’t discriminate against academic partnerships or investments with one country”The bill applies to universities that receive federal taxpayer dollars and bars them from discriminating against academic partnerships or investments with one country.search
4“this bill passed out of committee with overwhelming bipartisanship support, including the ranking member and five other Democrats”The Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act passed out of committee with support including the ranking member and five other Democrats.search

Analyzed on 2026-09-15