US House pulls vote on controversial anti-boycott bill targeting Israel critics

WASHINGTON

The US House of Representatives on Monday pulled a scheduled vote on a controversial bill that would impose penalties on Americans participating in internationally backed boycotts of Israel.

H.R. 867, the “IGO Anti-Boycott Act,” seeks to expand existing anti-boycott laws to cover actions encouraged by international governmental organizations (IGOs), such as the UN.

Though the House had planned to vote on the bill this week, it was absent from Monday’s public schedule.

“I’m told we are no longer voting on this. It’s been pulled,” Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on X. “Now let’s vote on the promises we made (with) the American people.” Representative Thomas Massie also confirmed the bill "has been pulled from the schedule for this week."

Sponsored by Republican Mike Lawler of New York, the bill has bipartisan co-sponsors, including Democrats such as Josh Gottheimer.

Rights groups, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), have denounced the bill because of the "threat it poses to First Amendment free speech rights."

"Under this law, American individuals, businesses, or advocacy organizations could face civil penalties, criminal fines of up to $1 million, and even imprisonment of up to 20 years for aligning with internationally-backed calls to boycott Israel or companies complicit in its human rights abuses," CAIR wrote in a statement, urging the Representatives to vote "No" on the bill.

"The right to boycott is an intrinsic part of the First Amendment and a cornerstone of American democracy - from resisting British colonial rule to supporting civil rights and opposing apartheid in South Africa. That right must not be infringed," it added.

Several lawmakers, including Greene and Massie, said they plan to vote against the bill, citing free speech concerns and the right to engage in peaceful boycotts.

"It is my job to defend American’s rights to buy or boycott whomever they choose without the government harshly fining them or imprisoning them," Greene wrote on X.

"But what I don’t understand is why we are voting on a bill on behalf of other countries and not the President’s executive orders that are FOR OUR COUNTRY???."