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In a move aimed squarely at curbing the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, the Trump administration has announced that U.S. states and cities must certify they are not boycotting Israeli companies in order to receive key federal disaster preparedness funding.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), grantees must confirm they are not engaging in “commercial discrimination specifically with Israeli companies” to qualify for critical funding. This condition now applies to at least $1.9 billion in FEMA grants, which states use to bolster emergency response capabilities, including search and rescue equipment, emergency personnel salaries, and backup power infrastructure.
The policy, reflected in at least 11 federal grant notices, incorporates anti-discrimination compliance into disaster funding requirements. Cities and states receiving funds through FEMA’s Urban Area Security Initiative, for example, will need to comply with the anti-boycott requirement to access a portion of the $553.5 million set aside for counter-terrorism in densely populated areas. New York City alone is slated to receive over $92 million from the program, more than any other jurisdiction.
A spokesperson for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will enforce all relevant anti-discrimination laws, including those targeting the BDS movement, which the agency described as “expressly grounded in antisemitism.”
The BDS campaign has faced mounting scrutiny following the October 7th Hamas massacre in Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza. Activists supporting the movement have intensified their calls for boycotts of Israeli businesses and institutions, which many Jewish and non-Jewish leaders alike have denounced as discriminatory and harmful.
While 34 U.S. states already have anti-BDS laws, the new federal requirement reinforces those efforts nationally — sending a clear message that taxpayer dollars should not support antisemitic discrimination.
By explicitly linking disaster readiness funds to anti-BDS compliance, the Trump administration is not only reinforcing existing state laws but also challenging local governments to take a public stance against antisemitic economic discrimination. The move underscores a broader shift — federal resources should align with American values, not subsidize campaigns rooted in hate.
