33 House Democrats joined Republicans in voting to threaten federal student aid over university boycott decisions
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/3/26) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on the U.S. Senate to block consideration and passage of H.R. 4795, the misleadingly titled “Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2026.” CAIR said every House member who supported this anti-free-speech bill voted to censor students and faculty advocating for the fundamental American right to engage in peaceful political boycotts by threatening their institutions with the loss of federal education funding if that advocacy succeeds. The bill passed the House 237–169, with 33 Democrats joining 203 Republicans and one independent in voting “YES.”
H.R. 4795 was sponsored by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) and co-sponsored by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.). Gottheimer did not vote on final passage.
In that statement, CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw said:
“The American people deserve a Congress that puts their constitutional rights and interests first, not the political demands of a foreign government. Senators must now defend the Constitution and the rights of the American people by blocking this bill from receiving consideration or passage.
“Yesterday, we joined countless Americans in warning every House member that this bill would use American students’ access to financial aid as leverage to protect Israel from peaceful economic pressure. Today, 237 representatives – including 33 democrats – voted to do exactly that.
“Every member of Congress who voted for H.R. 4795 voted to censor students and faculty and suppress their ability to advocate for peaceful economic action against the Israeli government’s occupation, apartheid and genocide in Gaza.
“The right to organize and participate in a political boycott is a fundamental American freedom. Our nation was founded through resistance that included colonial nonimportation agreements and boycotts of British goods and tea. Boycotts later became indispensable tools of the labor movement, the civil rights movement and international campaigns against apartheid.
“H.R. 4795 would enshrine an outrageous double standard in federal law. American universities could boycott American companies, institutions or states without triggering this punishment, but they could lose access to federal education programs for taking comparable action against Israel.
“In plain English, this bill declares that it is permissible to boycott America but impermissible to boycott Israel. That is not an America First policy. It is an Israel First, America Last attack on free speech, academic freedom, university autonomy and the financial futures of American students.”
CAIR is specifically urging Senate Democrats not to repeat the anti-free-speech stance of their House counterparts, who placed support for Israel above Americans’ constitutional rights. Senate Democrats should reject any motion, unanimous-consent request, or final-passage vote that would advance legislation like H.R. 4795.
Under the House-passed legislation, a college or university participating in federal student-aid programs would be penalized and prohibited from engaging in what the bill labels a “nonexpressive commercial boycott” of Israel or any entity organized, licensed or regulated under Israeli law unless the institution can demonstrate what the government considers a “valid business reason.” Universities could risk eligibility for programs supporting Pell Grants and federal student loans.
The bill would separately require institutions receiving certain international-education and foreign-language funds to submit annual certifications concerning academic programs involving Israel. Although the legislation nominally targets institutional conduct, its intended effect is to chill student- and faculty-led boycott and divestment campaigns by ensuring that universities face potentially devastating federal consequences if they respond to that advocacy.
Yesterday, before the House vote, CAIR urged every representative to oppose H.R. 4795. CAIR warned that the bill would use student financial aid as leverage, chill protected student and faculty advocacy, interfere with university autonomy, single out Israel for exceptional protection and create a dangerous precedent for politically motivated federal funding conditions.
The 33 House Democrats who voted for H.R. 4795 were: Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. (D-Calif.), Jim Costa (D-Calif.), Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Donald G. Davis (D-N.C.), Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), Laura Gillen (D-N.Y.), Jared F. Golden (D-Maine), Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas), Greg Landsman (D-Ohio), George Latimer (D-N.Y.), Susie Lee (D-Nev.), John W. Mannion (D-N.Y.), Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), Donald Norcross (D-N.J.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), Josh Riley (D-N.Y.), Bradley Scott Schneider (D-Ill.), Hillary J. Scholten (D-Mich.), Kim Schrier (D-Wash.), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), Darren Soto (D-Fla.), Haley M. Stevens (D-Mich.), Thomas R. Suozzi (D-N.Y.), Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.), Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), Juan Vargas (D-Calif.), Eugene Simon Vindman (D-Va.) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.).
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]