US links $2.4 billion in state disaster funds to Israel boycott stance
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A resident entering an improvised Fema station following the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Marion, North Carolina, US on Oct 5, 2024.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON – The Trump administration said states and cities will not receive funding to prepare for natural disasters if they choose to boycott Israeli companies, according to an agency statement.
States must certify that they will not cut off “commercial relations specifically with Israeli companies” to receive money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), according to the agency’s terms for grantees.
The condition applies to at least US$1.9 billion (S$2.4 billion) that states rely on to cover search-and-rescue equipment, emergency manager salaries and backup power systems, among other expenses, according to 11 agency grant notices reviewed by Reuters.
It is the latest example of the Trump administration making use of routine federal funding to advance its political message at the state level.
Fema said in July that US states will be required to spend part of their federal terrorism prevention funds on helping the government arrest migrants, an administration priority.
The Israel requirement takes aim at the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement – a campaign designed to put economic pressure on Israel to end occupation of Palestinian territories.
The campaign’s supporters grew more vocal in 2023 after Hamas attacked southern Israel and Israel invaded Gaza in response.
“DHS will enforce all anti-discrimination laws and policies, including as it relates to the BDS movement, which is expressly grounded in anti-Semitism,” a spokesperson for Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a statement.
The requirement is largely symbolic. At least 34 states already have anti-BDS laws or policies, according to a University of Pennsylvania law journal.
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) supports the Trump administration’s policy, said Ms Holly Huffnagle, the group’s director of anti-Semitism policy. The AJC is an advocacy group that supports Israel.
Under one of the grant notices posted on Aug 1, Fema will require major cities to agree to the Israel policy to receive a cut of US$553.5 million set aside to prevent terrorism in dense areas.
New York is due to receive US$92.2 million from the programme, the most of all the recipients. Allocations are based on the agency’s analysis of “relative risk of terrorism”, according to the notice. REUTERS
