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House of Representatives

Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2026

2026-09-03 Issue 140 Showing 1–6 of 6

A bill to prohibit federal funds from going to universities that boycott Israel. In discussion, Republicans spoke in support of the bill, arguing it would combat anti-Semitism on campuses. Democrats opposed the bill, saying it would violate free speech and academic freedom. Some debate time was spent on procedural matters like demanding a recorded vote.

Official Congressional Record ↗

Tim Walberg

Republican

“I want to cheer for a bill that will spend less taxpayer money on colleges that boycott Israel.”

Tim Walberg

Republican

“I want this bill to pass. It will stop colleges from boycotting Israel. Boycotts are bad and unfair. Our government gives money to colleges. Colleges should not boycott Israel if they get our money. This bill will stop that. The other side is wrong.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4795, Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act. In recent years, we have seen campaigns to boycott Israel spread across American campuses. These campaigns have pressured colleges and universities to cut financial, commercial, and academic ties with Israeli companies and institutions. That can mean restricting study abroad opportunities, research partnerships, academic exchanges, conferences, and other programs involving Israel. We cannot ignore the role these campaigns have played in fueling the alarming rise of anti-Semitism on college campuses. It is no coincidence that some of the largest supporters of these campaigns have applauded the October 7 attacks and continue to use anti-Semitic language. The Boycott, Divest and Sanctions, or BDS, movement singles out and demonizes Israel. It rejects the truth that Israel is a close friend and strategic partner of the United States. Our universities should not use taxpayer- funded Federal programs to discriminate against Israeli students, faculty, institutions, or businesses simply because they are Israeli. H.R. 4795 would prohibit participating institutions from engaging in boycotts of Israel that are not based on legitimate business reasons. It would also require colleges and universities to treat academic opportunities involving Israel the same as those involving other countries, ensuring Israeli students and faculty have the same access to academic programs and opportunities as their peers from around the world. This is about fairness. It is about justice. It is about protecting academic freedom. It is about accountability for Federal taxpayer dollars. The Federal Government provides significant support to higher education. American taxpayers should not be funding institutions that utilize Federal programs while simultaneously pursuing discriminatory boycotts or unequal academic treatment based solely on ties to Israel. H.R. 4795 passed the committee with bipartisan support, 24-9. That vote reflects what should be an important bipartisan consensus. Our institutions of higher education should be welcoming places for scholarship and exchange, not hotbeds of anti-Semitism and discrimination. I hope the floor vote reflects this principle. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4795 and send a clear message that academic and economic freedom must be protected on our campuses. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Virginia Foxx

Republican 9:20 a.m.

“I want this bill to pass. It will stop people from boycotting Israel. I think boycotts are bad and mean.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 4795, bipartisan legislation to combat anti-Semitic, discriminatory commercial and academic boycotts of Israel. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Walberg for yielding me time, and I thank him for advancing this critical bill out of committee. I also thank Ranking Member Scott for his vote in committee to advance the bill on a bipartisan basis. In addition, I also thank the coauthor of this bill, Representative Gottheimer of New Jersey, for his tireless work on this bipartisan achievement. I thank the groups that we worked with and those that support this legislation, the American Jewish Committee and the Combat Antisemitism Movement, for their steadfast support. Mr. Speaker, for decades now, the State of Israel, Israelis, and the people of Jewish faith have been internationally subjected to deplorable boycotts of their identity, their livelihoods, and their vitality. As others have stated, these boycotts are anti-Semitic in their design and discriminatory in their effect, and after October 7, universities have become the epicenters of these campaigns. Let me just quote the cofounder of the modern BDS movement, Omar Barghouti, emphasis mine: ``The ending of Israeli control in the territories is but the first stage of the road to fulfilling the vision of the dismantling of Israel.'' You heard that correctly, ``the dismantling of Israel,'' as stated by the founder of this deplorable movement. I want every Member of the House that is about to vote on this measure to reckon with this fact: the very founder of the BDS movement wants to dismantle the Jewish state. That is why the American Jewish Committee has characterized BDS leadership as seeking nothing less than the elimination of Israel as a Jewish state. Every Member here should let that sink in and every Member should understand that this bill represents the House's opportunity to stop this anti-Semitic, discriminatory, and inhuman campaign from being fueled by American taxpayers and stop it in its tracks. Commercial and academic boycotts like the ones we see, when fueled by taxpayer funds, represent concrete discrimination against the people's national origin. They are discriminating against people of the Jewish faith. They result in discrimination against and marginalizing of Israeli students. No matter how you slice it, these anti-Semitic boycotts should have no place in higher education and deserve zero intersection with the Federal Government. Now, let me speak to the chief argument from opponents of this bill: that these boycotts are illusionary, nonevents, or they haven't yet been actualized by administrators, so there is no reason to address possible taxpayer funding. These boycotts are manifest. They are coordinated. They are real. They marginalize Jewish students. They harm Israel, Israelis, and Jewish students economically. Case in point, the Evergreen State College in Washington, at the administrative level, reached an agreement to address divestment from companies that profit from the ``occupation of Palestinian territories.'' You can read this commitment to boycott and divest from Israel online as we speak. The Committee on Education and Workforce's investigation last Congress revealed that faculty members and Northwestern's provost-- administrators, mind you--were openly willing to appease encampment organizers in their efforts to demand that the university boycott Sabra hummus. These demands were only rejected after Congress threw its full weight and investigative power against such appeasements. The lack of successful commercial boycotts isn't due to a lack of trying. During the 2023-2024 academic year, at least 86 BDS resolutions were considered across graduate, undergraduate, and professional student organizations and faculty unions. Academic boycotts have a record of taxpayer support. Keep in mind, they can be stealthily executed at the programmatic level and can be accomplished without the expressed support from university administrators. One leading professor at Georgetown's Title VI supported National Resource Center has actively pursued a full academic boycott of Israel. In 2013, the American Studies Association, the largest academic--

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Virginia Foxx

Republican 9:30 a.m.

“I want to stop boycotts of Israel. Some groups boycott Israel. I don't like that. I think it's bad and mean. I want a law to stop them. I want taxpayers' money to not go to groups that boycott Israel. I want Congress to pass my bill. I say we need to act now. I don't like that groups boycott Israel.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, in 2013, the American Studies Association, the largest academic group in the United States, adopted a policy endorsing an academic boycott of Israel. In 2014, six taxpayer-supported NRC directors signed a letter endorsing an academic boycott of Israel. These academic boycotts contravene the purposes of the title VI funding they received. Mr. Speaker, I could go on and on, but now is not the time for talk. The facts are evident. Now is the time for action. This Congress needs to codify this preventive measure to protect students and taxpayers from this disgusting discrimination. Again, I thank Chairman Walberg and Representative Gottheimer for their work on this bipartisan legislation. I urge the Chamber to draw a line in the sand against these harmful campaigns against the State of Israel, Israelis, and our Jewish students at home.

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Burgess Owens

Republican 9:30 a.m.

“I want this bill to pass. I say there is much anti-Semitism at universities. I say those universities get taxpayer money. I say that is bad. I say Congress should stop giving them money. I say we should have standards for universities. I am proud of our work. I want my party to vote yes.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4795, the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act. Anti-Semitism on American campuses is not a fringe problem, and it is not slowing down. Across the United States and our institutions of higher learning, we have seen a concerted and coordinated effort to isolate Jewish students and faculty. In fact, as we have heard, the Combat Antisemitism Movement reported 531 incidents in the U.S. on college and university campuses in 2025. I am incredibly proud of the work that the Education and Workforce Committee has done to combat the spread of this vile ideology, and American taxpayers' dollars should not go to subsidize universities that are actively singling out one of our closest allies to discriminate against them. This isn't an issue over protests or slogans. In too many instances, this hatred has become a form of institutional discrimination supported by our colleges and universities. When that line is crossed, Congress has every right to intervene and demand that if you receive Federal dollars, there are basic standards that must be met. I am grateful for Dr. Foxx and her leadership in this space, and I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this measure.

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Tim Walberg

Republican 9:40 a.m.

“I want to say more. Schools should not boycott Israel. The government should not give money to schools that boycott Israel. Students and teachers should be free to study and do research with Israel. This bill makes sure schools treat Israel the same as other countries. Jewish students and teachers are facing more discrimination. Schools should be safe for all students. Schools should not work against Israel. This bill passed our committee. Now the House should pass it. It will protect academic freedom and make sure the government spends money well. I thank my colleague for her work on this bill. I hope everyone will vote yes.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, this legislation is about a simple principle: Our colleges and universities should not discriminate against Israel, Israeli institutions, or Israeli students; and Federal taxpayer dollars should never support institutions that engage in such discrimination. Academic freedom means students and faculty should be free to study, conduct research, collaborate, and exchange ideas without boycotts closing doors based on nationality. H.R. 4795 protects that principle. It ensures that colleges participating in Federal higher education programs do not engage in certain unjustified commercial boycotts of Israel and that academic opportunities involving Israel are treated fairly and equally. This is particularly important at a time when Jewish students and faculty are facing an alarming rise in anti-Semitism on American campuses. Our universities should be places where every student can learn without fear of discrimination or hostility and where academic partnerships are evaluated on their merits, not on campaigns that target one country. The United States has a strong and enduring partnership with Israel. Our colleges and universities should not be undermining that relationship while asking American taxpayers to support their institution. H.R. 4795 passed our committee with bipartisan support. Now it is time for the full House to stand for academic freedom, equal treatment, and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars. I thank Representative Virginia Foxx for her leadership on this issue, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 4795. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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