Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2026

What this does

This bill conditions two kinds of federal higher education funding on an institution's dealings with Israel, described in the text as a major strategic partner defined by cross reference to section 4 of Public Law 113-296. It amends the Higher Education Act's Title IV rules so that an institution is ineligible for federal student aid funds if it engages in a nonexpressive commercial boycott of Israel, meaning a business action, such as refusing to deal or ending business activity, that is intended to limit commercial relations with Israel and is not based on a valid business reason. Actions already covered by the existing exceptions in the Anti-Boycott Act of 2018 do not count. It separately amends Title VI so an institution participating in Title VI programs, such as international education and foreign language area studies grants, must certify every year, starting by July 31 after enactment, that it will let its own students and faculty take part in academic programs in Israel on the same terms as programs in other countries, and let students and faculty from Israeli institutions take part in its own programs on the same terms as those from other countries. An institution that misses the July 31 deadline becomes ineligible for Title VI funds for the following fiscal year, including funds it would otherwise have drawn from a grant awarded in an earlier year. The bill also adds a nonbinding sense of Congress that limiting academic cooperation with a major strategic partner does not serve the security, stability, and economic vitality of the United States.