The House Voted 237-169 to Strip Student Aid From Colleges That Boycott Israel. Thirty-Three Democrats Crossed Over.

The House passed a bill Thursday that would cut off federal student aid to any college or university that participates in a commercial boycott of Israel. The vote was 237 to 169. Thirty-three Democrats voted for it. Two Republicans, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Warren Davidson of Ohio, voted against it.

The measure is HR 4795, the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act, introduced in July 2025 by Representatives Virginia Foxx, the North Carolina Republican who chairs the Rules Committee, and Josh Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat. It amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to bar institutions engaged in what the text calls a "nonexpressive commercial boycott" of Israel from receiving federal student aid. The prohibition extends to boycotts of businesses and institutions based in Israeli settlements. The bill also requires federally funded universities to ensure students are not "unreasonably obstructed" from studying in Israel.

"BDS has no place on college campuses," Gottheimer said during debate, referring to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. "Jewish students are facing death threats. We must ensure they can learn safely." Foxx put it more bluntly on the floor: "They are discriminating against people of the Jewish faith. Now is the time for action."

Democratic leadership went the other way. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries voted no, as did former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Representative James Clyburn of South Carolina. Representative Jerrold Nadler of New York, one of the chamber's senior Jewish members and a longtime civil liberties voice, argued the bill punishes protected conduct. "The First Amendment right to free speech does not apply only to agreeable speech," he said. Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan called the measure "an attack on free speech" and "a betrayal of young students wanting to save lives."

Critics outside Congress focused on how far the obligation runs. Lara Friedman, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, called the bill's title Orwellian, telling Responsible Statecraft that the practical effect is that a university not only cannot refuse to work with Israeli entities but has to actively seek out those partnerships or risk being labeled as boycotting.

The split among Democrats is the story the vote leaves behind. A third of the caucus broke with its leadership on a bill the party's base largely opposes, and the roll call now exists as a public list. The measure still needs the Senate, where Republicans hold the majority, and then the president's signature before it becomes law.