Senate Republicans introduce federal anti-BDS bill
The legislation is co-sponsored by Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID) and 11 other Republicans
Photo by Al Drago-Pool/Getty Images
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 26: Ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee U.S. Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID) speaks during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on April 26, 2022 in Washington, DC. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the defense secretary on Monday committed a total of $713 million in foreign military financing for Ukraine and 15 allied and partner countries.
Senate Republicans are introducing legislation on Thursday to ban the federal government from contracting with entities that boycott Israel, the latest effort to expand anti-boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) legislation, which has proliferated at the state level, to the national level.
The bill, known as the Countering Hate Against Israel by Federal Contractors (CHAI) Act, is being introduced by Sens. Jim Risch (R-ID) and other Senate Republicans. A version of the bill was introduced in the House last year, where it has 16 Republican and three Democratic co-sponsors.
It bars the administration from entering into contracts with any individuals that do not certify that they are not engaging in boycotts of Israel. It would require an anti-boycott notice in any solicitation for federal contracts and the termination of any contracts within 30 days if companies do not end their boycott of Israel.
“Antisemitism has no place in America. Businesses who boycott Israel only seek to normalize antisemitism and delegitimize our greatest friend and partner in the Middle East. Not a single taxpayer dollar ought to go to any entity engaged in this hateful behavior,” Risch said in a statement. “With the Countering Hate Against Israel by Federal Contractors Act, we will ensure those seeking to do business with our government do not engage in acts of hate and antisemitism against the Israeli people.”
Sens. Mike Crapo (R-ID), Mike Braun (R-IN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rick Scott (R-FL) and John Thune (R-SD) are co-sponsoring the bill.
Crapo said that the “federal contracting process needs to reject and remain free of bigotry in all its forms,” and that the bill would send “a strong message.”
Capito said it would hold “the federal government to a standard that over two-thirds of states have already set.” Scott noted that he’d signed state-level anti-BDS legislation when he was Florida’s governor.
“Our federal agencies shouldn’t contract with entities that demonize our nations’ valued alliance,” Grassley said. “Our bill simply clarifies that position in statute.”