33 House Dems break with Jeffries as party fractures over Israel

The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation Thursday that would cut federal funding to colleges and universities that participate in boycotts targeting Israel, amid fierce debate over free speech and the safety of Jewish students on American campuses.

The bill, introduced by Representative Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey alongside other co-sponsors, passed largely along party lines, with most Democrats opposing the measure. Under the legislation, institutions that engage in what the text describes as "non-expressive commercial boycotts" of Israel would become ineligible for federal financial support. Universities receiving government funding would also be required to certify that their students face no unreasonable barriers to studying abroad in Israel.

Supporters argued the legislation was necessary to protect Jewish students facing increasing hostility at colleges nationwide. Representative Virginia Foxx, a Republican from North Carolina who chairs the House Rules Committee, said the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement, known as BDS, had created hostile environments for Jewish students. "They are discriminating against people of the Jewish faith," Foxx declared during floor debate. "Now is not the time for talk. It is the time for action."

Gottheimer framed the issue in stark terms, calling the BDS movement "the destruction of the democratic State of Israel, America's critical ally in the global fight against terror." He pointed to reported threats and physical assaults against Jewish students, saying they deserved protection. "At a time when our Jewish students are facing death threats, being physically assaulted, and blocked from going to class simply for who they are, we must do everything possible to ensure they can learn safely, speak freely, and get the education they deserve," he said in a statement.

Opponents countered that the bill would trample on constitutional guarantees. Representative Jerry Nadler of New York, though he personally opposes the BDS movement, said he would always defend Americans' right to express views with which he disagrees. "The First Amendment right to free speech does not apply only to agreeable speech," Nadler stated. "No matter how much I may disagree with BDS, and find it strategically stupid and morally repugnant, I will always fight to protect Americans' right to speech with which I disagree."

Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, a vocal critic of Israeli policies, dismissed the legislation during debate. She characterized it as an assault on free expression and academic freedom, arguing that Jewish students themselves were often at the forefront of BDS activism on campuses. "This is an attack on free speech and academic freedom, all in the name of defending a genocidal apartheid state," Tlaib said. "A vote for this bill is a betrayal of those promising young students because they want to save lives, no matter their faith or ethnicity."

The vote highlighted deepening fractures within the Democratic Party, where progressive members have clashed with more moderate colleagues over how to address the Israel-Gaza conflict. Some party members who voted against the measure were later targeted by far-left activists within their own ranks. Republicans have sought to exploit these divisions heading into future elections.

The bill now moves forward for further consideration, with supporters promising continued action and opponents pledging constitutional challenges.