FEMA now requires that the state prove that it will not cut “commercial ties with Israeli companies, particularly in order to qualify for disaster funding.”
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- This requirement applies to at least $1.9 billion that it relies on to cover search and rescue devices, emergency manager payroll, and backup power systems.
- FEMA said it would need to spend a portion of the federal Prevention Fund to help the government arrest migrants.
WASHINGTON Boycott Israeli Companies — The US and cities have been denied federal aid in preparing for natural disasters, and President Donald Trump’s administration has announced that routine federal funding is tied to political stance.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said in a grant notice posted on August 1 that the state must comply with its “Terms of Use.” These terms must prove that they will not break “commercial ties with Israeli companies, particularly in order to qualify for funding.”
The requirement applies to at least $1.9 billion, according to 11 agency grant notices reviewed by Reuters.
The requirement is the latest initiative by the Trump administration to use federal funds to promote views on Israel.
The Department of Homeland Security, the agency that oversees FEMA, said boycotting Israel in April was prohibited because of the states and cities that receive the grant.
FEMA separately said in July that it would need to spend a portion of the Federal Terrorism Prevention Fund to help the government arrest migrants, a priority.
Israel’s requirements aim to be a BDS, boycott, sale and sanctions movement designed to put economic pressure on Israel to end the occupation of Palestinian territory. Supporters of the campaign grew more loudly in 2023 after Hamas attacked southern Israel and Israel invaded Gaza in response.
“DHS will implement all differentiation laws and policies, including those relating to the BDS movement that is explicitly based on anti-Semitism,” a spokesman for Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem said in a statement.
The requirements are primarily symbolic. At least 34 states already have anti-BDS laws or policies, according to the University of Pennsylvania Law Journal. The BDS movement did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The American Jewish Commission supports the Trump administration’s policies, said Holly Hafnagle, director of the group’s anti-Semitism policy. This organization is an advocacy group supporting Israel.
In one of the grants posted on August 1, FEMA will require major cities to agree to Israeli policies to receive a $553.5 million cut to prevent terrorism in densely populated areas.
New York is expected to receive $92.2 million from the program, and is almost all recipients. According to the notification, the allocation is based on an agency’s analysis of “relative risks of terrorism.”
