Moskowitz, Tenney Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Counteract Anti-Israel BDS Movement

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Jared Moskowitz (D-FL-23) today joined Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (R-NY-24) to reintroduce their bipartisan Countering Hate Against Israel by Federal Contractors Act. The bill—which Moskowitz also led during the 118^th Congress—would ban the federal government from entering into contracts with entities that engage in the Boycott, Divestment, & Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.

“Taxpayer dollars should not be going towards groups that engage in antisemitic boycotts targeting Israel,” said Congressman Moskowitz. “When I was in the Florida Legislature, I helped lead the charge against the BDS movement to make clear it has no place in Florida. Now, Congress ought to do the same and make clear it has no place in federal contracts. The BDS movement is antisemitism, plain and simple, and this bill will ensure we’re using taxpayer dollars responsibly to stand up against hate and stand up for our ally Israel.”

“The BDS movement promotes and normalizes anti-Semitism by singling out the world’s only Jewish state and targeting Israel’s economy. The United States should not support any entity that engages in or endorses such actions. With over two-thirds of states enacting laws to counter the BDS movement, the federal procurement process must follow these states’ lead by implementing legislation at the national level to ban procurement from entities that engage in this form of anti-Semitism. The Countering Hate Against Israel by Federal Contractors Act sends a clear message that the United States stands firmly against anti-Semitism and remains committed to supporting our greatest ally,” said Congresswoman Tenney.

Across the United States, thirty-eight states have implemented laws like the Countering Hate Against Israel by Federal Contractors Act. Moskowitz led the successful effort to pass a version in Florida while serving in the Florida State House. His new bill with Rep. Tenney would bring the federal procurement process in line with these states’ policies, which back up America’s close alliance with Israel.

Moskowitz is a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he leads its Subcommittee on Oversight & Intelligence as Ranking Member. Last week, his bipartisan No Paydays for Hostage-Takers Act passed through the Foreign Affairs Committee to strengthen U.S. deterrence of state-sponsored hostage-taking and the wrongful detention of U.S. nationals, particularly against the government of Iran. Earlier this Congress, he introduced a bipartisan, bicameral resolution to condemn and counter the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, and he is once again leading his bipartisan PLO and PA Terror Payments Accountability Act to crack down on martyr payments that incentivize terror against Israel.

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