{"id":427243,"date":"2026-09-05T15:32:24","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T15:32:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/427243\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T15:32:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T15:32:24","slug":"south-texas-democratic-u-s-rep-henry-cuellar-votes-to-defund-colleges-that-boycott-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/427243\/","title":{"rendered":"South Texas Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar votes to defund colleges that boycott Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Texas Democrat Henry Cuellar earlier this year voted to merge Israel\u2019s military with that of the United States. Now he supports defunding colleges for not supporting Israel. Credit: Instagram \/ Henry Cuellar<\/p>\n

South Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar on Thursday voted in support of a Republican-backed bill that defunds colleges and universities that boycott Israeli companies.<\/p>\n

The U.S. House passed the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act<\/a> (HR 4795) by a 237-169 vote. The proposal would cut off certain federal student aid and funds from universities that engage in commercial boycotts of Israel as part of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.<\/p>\n

It now heads to the Senate for a vote after the Labor Day weekend.<\/p>\n

Though the vote mostly broke down along partisan lines, Cuellar was one of 33 Democrats<\/a> who joined Republicans to pass the bill. Other Dems, including San Antonio Congressman Joaquin Castro, raised concerns about the bill\u2019s free speech implications and questioned continued U.S. support for Israel\u2019s current government.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis bill is a bad idea. It tramples on the rights to protect a foreign government from the consequences of its own actions,\u201d Castro said in remarks on the House floor<\/a>. \u201cThe West Bank is currently experiencing its worst year of settler violence ever recorded. Israeli settlers have committed violence, terrorism and many other things against Palestinians, with the goal of driving them out of the land they\u2019ve lived in for generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israel has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians since a Hamas attack took 1,200 Israeli lives on Oct. 7, 2023, according to Reuters<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is an ethnic cleansing,\u201d Castro continued. \u201cAmerica sees this. The world sees this. Yet what is our priority in the House of Representatives right now? Not to stop the violence. Not to stop the displacement. Not to protect the children.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cuellar didn\u2019t announce his vote for Thursday\u2019s anti-BDS bill on social media platform X, nor did he issue a press release explaining the reason for his vote. The Current reached out to Cuellar\u2019s office for a statement but didn\u2019t receive one by press time.<\/p>\n

However, this is not the first time in recent memory that Cuellar has shown unyielding support for the current Israeli government. In July, Cuellar voted to merge the United States and Israeli militaries<\/a> as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act<\/a> was co-authored by Republican U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina and Democratic U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you\u00a0@RepJoshG<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0@virginiafoxx<\/a>\u00a0for leading this important bipartisan effort to counter the dangerous BDS [or Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions] campaign and safeguard academic engagement with Israel,\u201d the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC,\u00a0celebrated<\/a>\u00a0on X after the vote. <\/p>\n

Despite Cuellar and some others crossing the aisle to support HR 4795, the bill had many detractors within the Democratic Party. They raised concerns about how the bill could chill First Amendment rights on college campuses.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bill\u2019s federal requirements raise serious questions about how they would operate in practice, the potential negative effects on institutions, and the extent to which the federal government may condition funding on policies that implicate First Amendment-protected speech,\u201d the House Education and Workforce Committee Democrats\u00a0wrote<\/a>\u00a0in a statement before the vote.<\/p>\n

U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a New York Democrat and one of the House\u2019s most senior Jewish members, said in a statement before the vote that he opposed the BDS movement but would \u2060vote no because he supported Americans\u2019 right to free expression.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is the only way to ensure speech I do \u200bagree with is equally protected,\u201d Nadler said.<\/p>\n

Texas politics is a mess. We make it a readable mess.<\/p>\n

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