Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2026

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.

At least 5 organizations named this measure in a lobbying filing. A floor, not a total: they were counted by the client name on 5 quarterly reports filed by 5 organizations lobbying for themselves in 2025 Q4 and 2026 Q2. An organization that lobbied this measure without naming it is not counted here.

The filings record that lobbying was reported on the measure. The form has no per-bill dollar figure and no field for a position, so nothing here says how much was spent or which side an organization took.

The organizations named: Wounded Warrior Project; American Israel Public Affairs Committee; American Federation of Teachers; Republican Jewish Coalition; J Street. Listed as filed. They are every client name on the filings counted here.

From the LD-2 quarterly lobbying filings published at lda.gov by the Senate Office of Public Records. Read for 2025 Q1, 2025 Q2, 2025 Q3, 2025 Q4, 2026 Q1 and 2026 Q2. Our copy holds 2 fewer filings for 2025 Q4 and 7 fewer filings for 2026 Q2 than the Senate's register counts, so those quarters are the filings we could read rather than every one filed. 2026 Q3 is still inside its filing window, so that quarter is only the filings posted so far.