(José Niño, Headline USA) In a sudden reversal, the Trump administration abandoned a controversial move to condition billions in federal emergency grants on a state or city’s willingness to shun the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.
At issue was a proposal floated Monday by the Department of Homeland Security to withhold federal FEMA funding from states or municipalities with active boycotts of Israeli companies.
Although the language was quickly scrubbed from official documents following fierce public backlash, the administration has left open the possibility of future enforcement.
The Department of Homeland Security clarified that “FEMA grants remain governed by existing law and policy and not political litmus tests” while simultaneously stating that the Trump administration “will enforce all anti-discrimination laws and policies, including as it relates to the BDS movement, which is expressly grounded in antisemitism.”
The brief emergence and rapid retreat of the policy drew sharp criticism from across the political spectrum. Progressives and First Amendment groups argued that disaster relief, like clean water or police protection, cannot be made contingent on political beliefs or international economic policy. ACLU Communications Director Gillian Branstetter joked that the government’s policy was: “If you don’t buy Sabra hummus, we will drown your family.”
"If you don't buy Sabra hummus we will drown your family" https://t.co/6AdMbYoN8H
— Gillian Branstetter (@GBBranstetter) August 4, 2025
On the other hand, conservatives and Trump’s core supporters, meanwhile, framed it as an abandonment of “America First,” contending that needs at home should never be overshadowed by the interests of a foreign nation. Conservative commentator Candace Owens declared on X “Trump has fully betrayed America for [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and if you cannot see that now you are completely blind.”
Denying Americans who won’t support the genocide being conducted by your friends.
Trump has fully betrayed America for Netanyahu and if you cannot see that now you are completely blind.
Best 100 million Miriam Adelson ever spent. https://t.co/l7SWjLtNvP— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) August 4, 2025
The administration attempted to tamp down accusations that foreign policy trumped disaster preparedness. In a public statement, DHS said, “There is NO FEMA requirement tied to Israel in any current NOFO. No states have lost funding, and no new conditions have been imposed.”
There is NO FEMA requirement tied to Israel in any current NOFO. No states have lost funding, and no new conditions have been imposed.
FEMA grants remain governed by existing law and policy and not political litmus tests. DHS will enforce all anti-discrimination laws and… https://t.co/AeJeaeTlRS
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) August 4, 2025
This episode did not occur in isolation. In the past decade, nearly forty states have enacted anti-BDS statutes, most commonly prohibiting state contractors from participating in Israel-related boycotts. Legal challenges have produced mixed results.
Four federal district courts in Kansas, Arizona, Texas, and Georgia have ruled that anti-BDS laws violate the First Amendment. In contrast, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Arkansas’s anti-BDS law in 2022.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
