Trump administration says US states won't be denied disaster funds for boycotting Israel
Reuters, quoting grant notices posted last week, reported that states and cities must certify that they will not cut commercial relations with Israeli companies to receive the money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The condition reportedly applies to at least $1.9 billion on which states rely for search and rescue equipment, emergency manager salaries and back-up power systems, among other expenses.
"There is no Fema requirement tied to Israel in any current NOFO [Notice of Funding Opportunity]. No states have lost funding, and no new conditions have been imposed. Fema grants remain governed by existing law and policy and not political litmus tests," a Department of Homeland Security representative said in a statement to The National.
In an earlier statement, the representative said: 'DHS will enforce all anti-discrimination laws and policies, including as it relates to the BDS [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions] movement, which is expressly grounded in anti-Semitism. Those who engage in racial discrimination should not receive a single dollar of federal funding."
The BDS campaign is designed to put economic pressure on Israel to end the occupation of the Palestinian territories.
More than 30 states already have anti-BDS laws or policies, according to Newsweek. Fema will require major cities to agree to the Israel policy to receive a cut of $553.5 million set aside to prevent terrorism in dense areas, according to the Reuters report.
It is apparently 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 states will be required to spend part of their federal terrorism prevention funds on helping the government to arrest migrants, which is an administration priority.
Mr Trump has said that Fema should be eliminated, and that states should take on more responsibility for responding to and preparing for disasters, including extreme weather.
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