1. United States
2. Colo.
3. Letter

I am demanding that you vote NO on H.R. 4795, the so-called Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act. This bill does the opposite of what its name claims. It uses federal education funding to punish colleges and universities for participating in certain boycotts of Israel and imposes additional Israel-specific requirements on institutions receiving federal funds. Congress has no business conditioning students’ access to federal financial aid or universities’ funding on political conformity toward a foreign country. Boycotts and divestment are longstanding forms of peaceful political protest. Students, faculty, and universities must remain free to demand divestment from governments and companies they believe are responsible for human rights abuses, including Israel, without Congress threatening their institutions with financial punishment. No foreign country should receive special protection from peaceful economic protest. Palestinian human rights advocacy must not be singled out for suppression. H.R. 4795 is an attack on free expression, academic freedom, and institutional independence dressed up as their defense. Vote NO on H.R. 4795. Do not use federal funding to shield Israel from boycott, divestment, protest, or accountability.