US backtracks on tying disaster aid to Israel boycott stance after public outcry

The Trump administration has reversed course after facing backlash for threatening to withhold at least $1.9 billion in disaster preparedness funding from states and local governments that support boycotts of Israel or Israeli companies.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appeared to remove a controversial clause from its internal terms and conditions, which had required grant recipients to avoid supporting efforts to sever commercial ties with Israeli firms or those doing business in or with Israel.

The earlier language, first added in April, stated that applicants "must not support severing commercial relations, or otherwise limiting commercial relations specifically with Israeli companies or with companies doing business in or with Israel."

The clause was quietly removed after news outlets highlighted that 11 new federal grant notices published on Friday referenced the older conditions, prompting public outrage and accusations of political coercion.

"There is NO FEMA requirement tied to Israel in any current NOFO. No states have lost funding, and no new conditions have been imposed," the DHS wrote on X, using an acronym for Notice of Funding Opportunity.

"FEMA grants remain governed by existing law and policy and not political litmus tests."

The department added: "DHS will enforce all anti-discrimination laws and policies, including as it relates to the BDS movement, which is expressly grounded in antisemitism. Those who engage in racial discrimination should not receive a single dollar of federal funding."

The retracted requirement had applied to a wide range of critical programmes — including emergency food and shelter, port security, and search-and-rescue operations — and drew fire even from within the Trump-aligned MAGA base.

"Denying Americans who won’t support the genocide being conducted by your friends. Trump has fully betrayed America for Netanyahu," political commentator Candace Owens posted on X.

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Source: TRT