House Passes It 237-169 –Dems FLIP And Humiliate Hakeem Jeffires

House Democrats fractured again Thursday as 33 members broke with their party and joined Republicans to approve legislation that could cut off federal funding to colleges participating in certain boycotts of Israel.

The House passed H.R. 4795, the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2026, in a decisive 237-169 vote.

Thirty-three Democrats backed the measure, while 167 Democrats joined just two Republicans in voting against it.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries opposed the legislation, putting him on the other side of the vote from dozens of Democrats who supported new federal consequences for colleges participating in anti-Israel boycotts.

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and longtime Democratic Rep. James Clyburn also voted against the bill, exposing a significant divide among House Democrats over Israel, campus activism and the limits of politically motivated boycotts.

Republican Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Warren Davidson of Ohio were the only GOP lawmakers to oppose the measure.

North Carolina Republican Virginia Foxx sponsored the legislation, with New Jersey Democrat Josh Gottheimer serving as its Democratic co-sponsor.

At the heart of the bill is a potentially powerful financial penalty.

The legislation would amend federal higher-education law to make covered colleges participating in a “nonexpressive commercial boycott” of Israel ineligible for specified federal higher-education funding.

Federally supported institutions would also be required to certify that students are not “unreasonably obstructed” from participating in academic programs located in Israel.

Supporters argue the measure is aimed at institutional commercial discrimination—not at students protesting, speaking out against Israel or expressing political opinions.

Critics see something very different: a federal funding threat that could chill constitutionally protected political expression and interfere with the independence of American colleges and universities.

Foxx argued that university boycott policies have created hostile environments by “marginalizing Jewish students” and discriminating against people of Jewish faith.

Progressive Democrats fiercely opposed the legislation, arguing Congress is effectively turning political opposition to Israel into grounds for stripping educational institutions of federal support.

New York Democrat Jerry Nadler said he opposes the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement but maintains that Americans who support it retain constitutional protections for political advocacy.

Michigan Democrat Rashida Tlaib went further, delivering a blistering denunciation of the legislation and accusing lawmakers of attempting to suppress pro-Palestinian activism.

“This is an attack on free speech and academic freedom,” Tlaib declared during debate before the final vote.

Tlaib also described Israel as a “genocidal apartheid state,” highlighting the intense rhetoric that has increasingly surrounded the Israel debate among progressive Democrats.

Supporters of the bill rejected that characterization of the legislation, maintaining that it targets institutional commercial conduct rather than individual political speech.

The contentious vote came as House Speaker Mike Johnson faced a separate round of criticism over his decision to send lawmakers home ahead of the November midterm elections.

Johnson canceled votes scheduled for Friday, effectively ending the House’s legislative work until after the election and sending members away from Washington for more than six weeks.

It follows Johnson’s decision to cancel votes during the final two weeks of September.

“The House has done its work,” Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, told reporters at the Capitol.

“It’s time for our members to go home to their districts and make their case to the American people,” Johnson added.

Not every Republican was willing to accept that explanation.

South Carolina Republican Rep. Ralph Norman blasted the decision as “unacceptable.”

“The House has now canceled at least 63 scheduled voting days this Congress, including nine days this month alone, and now we’re leaving Washington until after the election,” Norman wrote on X.

“The Founders did not envision taking this much time off and still getting paid. If Members of Congress want to go home and campaign instead of doing the job taxpayers sent us here to do, then their campaigns ought to be paying them, NOT the American taxpayer. We still have work to do,” Norman added.

Johnson also rejected Democratic demands to cancel the recess so lawmakers could address the rapidly accelerating development of artificial intelligence.

Following warnings from AI researchers and industry leaders about potentially catastrophic risks posed by increasingly capable systems, Democratic lawmakers urged Johnson to keep the House in Washington until Congress could act.

“Congress should not leave town until something is done decisively to protect the safety and the well-being of the American people, in the face of growing concerns being raised by experts within the artificial intelligence industry itself,” Jeffries said Monday.

“Republicans have completely abandoned their responsibility to legislate and engage in public policy efforts in a responsible fashion in the area of artificial intelligence,” Jeffries continued.

The result is a House leaving Washington amid fights on multiple fronts: a bipartisan split over federal funding and Israel boycotts, an escalating battle over free speech and campus policy, mounting criticism over Congress’ lengthy absence from Washington, and unresolved demands for federal action on artificial intelligence.

But Thursday’s 237-169 vote also revealed something increasingly difficult for Democratic leaders to ignore: when it came time to vote on Israel boycotts and federal education dollars, 33 members of their own caucus were willing to break ranks.