Two Democrats Cleared the Way to Punish U.S. Colleges for Boycotting Israel

The House adopted H. Res. 1499 on September 1, advancing H.R. 4795, the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2026. The bill's reported text would make an institution ineligible to participate in Title IV programs if it engages in a defined nonexpressive commercial boycott of a major strategic partner of the United States. H. Res. 1499 identifies Israel as the subject of H.R. 4795's proposed restriction.

The bill defines a covered nonexpressive commercial boycott as a commercial action, including refusing to deal or terminating business activities, intended to limit commercial relations with a major strategic partner and not based on a valid business reason. The reported text also excludes actions described in regulations providing specified Anti-Boycott Act exceptions.

H.R. 4795 would add an annual Title VI certification requirement. Institutions would have to certify that students and faculty could participate in conferences, teaching and cultural exchanges, study-abroad programs, joint research and other collaborative academic activities involving a major strategic partner on the same manner and terms as comparable programs in other foreign countries. An institution missing the July 31 certification deadline would become ineligible for Title VI funds in the first fiscal year beginning after that deadline.

The procedural margin was unusually narrow. The Clerk's roll call records H. Res. 1499 passing 210-208 at 2:20 p.m. on September 1, with 207 Republican Ayes and five Republican No votes, alongside two Democratic Ayes and 203 Democratic No votes.

Those two Democratic Ayes were Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, according to the Clerk's record and reporting by The Guardian. Because a 209-209 tie would have defeated the rule, each member's vote was outcome-determinative. The records establish the effect of the votes, but not either member's motive.

The vote was on H. Res. 1499, a rule governing consideration rather than final passage of H.R. 4795. The resolution provided for consideration of H.R. 4795 alongside H.R. 1501, H.R. 9436 and H. Res. 1490. For H.R. 4795, the Rules Committee specified a closed rule, Rules Committee Print 119-39, one hour of debate and one motion to recommit.

If enacted, the reported bill would use federal higher-education eligibility and funding as leverage over institutional commercial and academic conduct involving Israel. That is an inference from the proposed funding conditions, not a documented statement of legislative motive. The supplied records do not establish enactment, Senate approval or any college's loss of aid, and they contain no verified evidence establishing campaign-finance, lobbying or donor ties behind the bill or showing that either Democrat acted because of outside funding.