The Trump administration has apparently altered a policy in which states and cities that boycott Israeli companies could be ineligible for disaster relief funds, Axios has reported.
The Department of Homeland Security had stated in a notice in April that recipients were prohibited from "limiting commercial relations specifically with Israeli companies" in order to qualify for assistance.
However, the August update outlining FEMA applicant terms and conditions omitted the wording included in April.
A DHS spokesperson told Axios that "there is no FEMA requirement tied to Israel in any current [notice]. No states have lost funding, and no new conditions have been imposed."
The spokesperson added that "FEMA grants remain governed by existing law and policy and not political litmus tests. 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 requirement targets the boycott, divestment, sanctions movement, a Palestinian-led movement, according to its website, that urges "action to pressure Israel to comply with international law."
President Donald Trump has threatened in general to withhold disaster relief funding from California over political differences with Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom.
For example, in May, a coalition of 20 Democrat attorneys general sued the Trump administration for threatening to withhold billions of disaster relief funds if they didn't cooperate with federal immigration enforcement officials.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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