The House voted 237-169 on Thursday to cut federal funding to American universities that boycott Israel or Israeli academic institutions, including colleges in the occupied West Bank. Thirty-three Democrats sided with the Republican majority. Two Republicans, Thomas Massie and Warren Davidson, voted no.
The bill goes next to the Republican-controlled Senate. President Donald Trump would have to sign it for it to become law.
Its text bars federal money from any university that boycotts “an entity licensed or regulated by, or organised under the laws of” Israel. That wording reaches schools in West Bank settlements, which are illegal under international law. Al Jazeera reported that losing the money would leave many universities close to unable to operate or to pay out student financial aid. The bill also makes schools certify every year that they allow cooperation with Israeli universities.
Among the 33 Democrats were Ritchie Torres and Haley Stevens, both strongly pro-Israel. Stevens recently lost the Michigan Democratic Senate nomination to Abdul El-Sayed, who supports Palestinian rights.
Free speech objections
Jenin Younes, president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, said the bill raises First Amendment problems. “The Supreme Court has made clear that the government cannot condition its funding on suppression of First Amendment-protected activity,” she told Al Jazeera. “Courts also recognise that boycotts constitute such activity.”
She and others also object to the certification rule. A school that has to show it permits cooperation with Israeli universities, they argue, may end up building ties with settlement colleges just to comply.
Robert McCaw, government affairs director at the Council on American-Islamic Relations, called the bill “a blatant attempt to hold American students’ financial futures hostage in order to shield the Israeli government and entities operating under Israeli law from peaceful economic pressure.” He added that “Congress should not threaten Pell Grants and student loans simply because lawmakers dislike the outcome of that advocacy.”
Younes tied the vote to public opinion. A Pew Research Center survey in July found 62 percent of Americans have an unfavourable view of the Israeli government. “The timing of the bill reflects the Israel lobby’s growing desperation in the face of rising opposition to US support for Israel,” she said. She also said including West Bank colleges shows Washington has no real intent “to hold Israel accountable for its unlawful occupation or to pave the way for a Palestinian state.”
Supporters’ case
Backers say the bill regulates commercial conduct, not speech. Representative Tim Walberg, the Republican chair of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, said: “Our universities should not use taxpayer-funded federal programs to discriminate against Israeli students, faculty, institutions, or businesses simply because they are Israeli.” He said he hoped the Senate would follow the House.
Some rights advocates do call for academic boycotts of Israel. The BDS movement’s website says Israeli universities have for decades “played a key role in planning, implementing and justifying Israel’s occupation and apartheid policies,” and that they keep a close relationship with the Israeli military. Congress and many states have spent years passing laws to restrict the movement. In 2024, the International Court of Justice ruled that Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, “have been established and are being maintained in violation of international law.”
