Newly introduced legislation seeks to halt federal student aid for colleges that boycott or divest from Israel, the latest move from federal lawmakers seeking to rein in antisemitic sentiment in higher education. 

The chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Virginia Foxx, and Congressman Josh Gottheimer announced on Tuesday that they had introduced the legislation, called the “Protect Economic Freedom Act.” It would make institutions that engage in “commercial boycotts dictated by those in the boycott-sanction-divest (BDS) movement” ineligible for Title IV federal funding. 

“Enough is enough,” Ms. Foxx said in a statement. “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. If an institution is going to capitulate to the BDS movement, there will be consequences — starting with the Protect Economic Freedom Act.”

The bill would require higher education institutions to “certify that the institution is not engaging in a non-expressive commercial boycott of Israel” or else forgo federal student aid. The legislation mirrors similar laws that prohibit individuals from “participating in unsanctioned foreign boycotts,” the lawmakers said. The legislation, if enacted, would also direct the Education Department to publicly list all institutions that fail to certify. 

The House committee said that throughout its months-long investigation into college antisemitism, it has found clear examples of anti-Israel individuals coercing universities into boycotting Israel — including at Northwestern university, where school administrators even removed Sabra hummus from dining halls “because of the brand’s perception as an Israeli product.” 

“The goal of the antisemitic BDS movement is to annihilate the democratic State of Israel, America’s critical ally in the global fight against terror,” Mr. Gottheimer said while announcing the proposed legislation. 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.”