Senate’s first anti-BDS bill faces uncertain future in House
The Senate has passed its first bill clamping down on the pro-Palestinian boycott movement, but House Democrats aren’t committing to a floor vote.
The Senate today passed its first bill clamping down on the pro-Palestinian boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel by a vote of 77 to 23.
But Democratic leaders aren’t committing to putting the Combating BDS Act, introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., on the House floor amid a debate over free speech within their caucus.
“The committee would need to look at it, hold hearings on it and mark it up before it’s brought to the floor,” a senior Democratic aide told Al-Monitor.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has lobbied Congress to pass three anti-BDS bills, but the potential snag on the Combating BDS Act could also affect debate on the two others. Notably, the House’s first two pro-BDS lawmakers both sit on committees that have jurisdiction over the issue: Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., on Foreign Affairs, and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., on Financial Services.
