Josh Gottheimer · TranslatePolitics.com

House of Representatives

Protecting Economic and Academic Freedom

2026-09-02

“I want this bill to pass. It will stop universities from boycotting or divesting from Israel. Universities should not shut out students or professors because of their religion or where they are from. My bill will prevent this. It does not affect free speech or academic debate. Universities that take taxpayer money cannot discriminate against one country. This is our policy. Many people from both parties support this bill.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill with Ms. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act. No 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. My 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. 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. 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. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bipartisan bill.

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House of Representatives

Anthony "Tony" J. Gallopo VA Clinic

2026-07-15

“I want to honor Tony Gallopo. He helped veterans get healthcare. I want the clinic to have his name. He was a good man. Everyone should support this bill. It is not partisan.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I thank my very good friend from New Jersey as well as my friends on the other side for their support. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 6007. Today, this House will come together and do something simple but important: honor a great American hero. Mr. Speaker, Tony Gallopo, as you have heard, was a brave Navy veteran, vice commander of the New Jersey Department of The American Legion, and commander of American Legion Post 86 in Newton, New Jersey. He spent time in Bergen County and Sussex County. He was a firefighter. He was a man who served and then came back and served more. For years, my good friend did what a lot of people talk about but few actually do. He fought every single day to make sure our veterans got the healthcare they earned and deserved and to make sure they were looked out for. He never forgot anyone, and that is why he was such a special man. We all miss him. Tony was instrumental in opening the Sussex County, New Jersey, Veterans Affairs Clinic in 2017, the CBOC. He and I worked side by side, cutting through red tape to get veterans real referrals, real specialists, and real healthcare--healthcare that they earned and deserved. Sadly, Tony passed away in 2020, leaving behind his wife, Betsy; his brilliant daughters, Ashley, Sarah, and Ally; and an incredible legacy of helping those in need. Today's vote on this bill will honor his name and his work at the very clinic he helped to build. I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, he literally helped build it. We sat at a picnic bench right outside the clinic many times talking about how we could make it better and how we could deliver more service to veterans. He never forgot that for a second. He never forgot the country he served, and he never forgot the flag he saluted every day with such great pride. It is Americans like him we should all look up to. It is Americans like him who built this great country for 250 years. It is why we should honor him today. This isn't partisan. It is just common sense. It is what we owe every person who ever wore the uniform and protected our great Nation. I thank his family--Betsy, Ashley, Sarah, and Ally--for sharing Tony with all of us. I know how hard it is right now without him, but his legacy goes on, and it looms large. He lives on. No one has forgotten him for a minute. When we go to The American Legion, we all talk about him. There are pictures everywhere, and he continues to be a light in New Jersey, in our country, and for all of us as somebody we should look up to. Mr. Speaker, I urge the House to pass this legislation, and I am so grateful for the bipartisan support. I also urge the Senate--I know Senator Cory Booker has taken the lead on this--to take this up quickly and honor our great hero, Tony Gallopo.

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