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Bipartisan bill would cut funding to universities that boycott Israel

‘Protect Economic Freedom Act’ would require universities declare annually they aren’t boycotting Israel  

Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx and Democrat Rep. Josh Gottheimer introduced a bill Tuesday to withhold federal funding from universities that divest from companies with ties to Israel.

The “Protect Economic Freedom Act” would mandate that universities submit yearly certifications to the Department of Education proving they are not involved in any “commercial boycotts dictated by those in the boycott-sanction-divest (BDS) movement,” according to a Committee on Education and the WorkForce news release.

The bill would also require the U.S. Department of Education to “make publicly available a list of all institutions that fail to certify.”

“Enough is enough. Appeasing the antisemitic mobs on college campuses threatens the safety of Jewish students and faculty, and it undermines the relationship between the U.S. and one of our strongest allies,” Foxx (pictured) stated in the news release.

Gottheimer condemned “the antisemitic BDS movement,” stating that its goal “is to annihilate the democratic State of Israel, America’s critical ally in the global fight against terror.”

“While students and faculty are free to speak their minds and disagree on policy issues, we cannot allow antisemitism to run rampant and risk the safety and security of Jewish students, staff, faculty, and guests on college campuses,” he stated.

The news release also states the committee’s investigation into antisemitism on college campuses found that extremist anti-Israel activists were pressuring universities to divest from and boycott Israel.

It pointed to one example at Northwestern University, where faculty members and the provost were found to have yielded to demands from protestors by removing Sabra hummus from campus dining areas due to its association with Israel. This not only harms economic partnerships but also weakens the U.S.-Israel alliance and empowers antisemitic groups, the news release stated.

Further, “more than 30 student governments at universities across the country have passed boycott resolutions, according to the Palestinian BDS National Committee, which counts Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other U.S.-designated terror organizations as members,” The Washington Free Beacon reported.

Last month, however, Harvard University rejected activist student demands to divest from Israel, stating that would “declare an institutional position” on a divisive issue, The College Fix previously reported.

Similarly, the University of Virginia and Wesleyan University have recently rejected students demands for the schools to divest from Israel.

MORE: New School student government yanks campus groups’ funding to demand Israel divestment

IMAGE: House Committee on Education & the Workforce/Youtube

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About the Author
Gabrielle Temaat is an assistant editor at The College Fix. She holds a B.S. in economics from Barrett, the Honors College, at Arizona State University. She has years of editorial experience at the Daily Caller and various family policy councils. She also works as a tutor in all subjects and is deeply passionate about mentoring students.