The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has quietly revoked a policy that would have required cities and states receiving disaster preparedness aid to verify they would not participate in boycotts of Israel.
On Monday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had released updated guidelines stating that local governments must certify they will not engage in "commercial relations specifically with Israeli companies" in order to qualify for access to nearly $1.9 billion in federal disaster preparedness funds.
Additionally, $553.5 million in terrorism prevention funding would have also been contingent on recipients affirming that they will not support boycotts of Israeli businesses.
However, by Monday evening, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees FEMA, quietly updated its guidelines removing the condition for cities and states to receive aid had to pledge not to participate in boycotts of Israeli companies.
In a post on X (Formerly Twitter) the DHS addressed the situation, claiming that the rule was already in place as per federal anti-discrimination laws, while also claiming the BDS movement was "grounded in antisemitism".
The post from DHS, however, did not explain the reasoning for the change in the guidelines on its website, leaving analysts to believe that the administration may still intend of enforcing the rule and having only removed it from the DHS website due to public backlash.
This is not the first time disaster relief has been tied to such pledges. In 2017, after Hurricane Harvey, the city of Dickinson, Texas, required residents applying for recovery funds to sign a pledge not to boycott Israel, sparking legal and public controversy over free speech rights.
Since taking office in January, Trump and the Republican Party have escalated their campaign against anti-Israel protest movements, particularly on university campuses. In May, GOP lawmakers introduced the IGO Anti-Boycott Act, which sought to criminalize participation in boycotts against Israel—especially those called for by international organizations. The bill proposed penalties of up to $1 million in fines or 20 years in prison. However, following public backlash, the vote on the measure was ultimately canceled.
There are currently numerous court cases active regarding the legality of punishing any person or entity over its support for the BDS movement, with most observers believing that the Supreme Court will eventually have to rule on the matter.