H.R.867 – IGO Anti-Boycott Act is a bill expanding an existing anti-boycott law to include boycotts imposed by international governmental organizations (IGOs). Current law prohibits various actions by US persons (individuals or entities) in relation to boycotts imposed by foreign governments on a country which is friendly to the United States and that is not itself the object of a US boycott. This bill applies those prohibitions to similar boycotts imposed by IGOs.
In layman’s terms, H.R. 867 is a broad pro-Israel bill supported by the Republican House leadership and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). The bipartisan legislation introduced by Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) proposed penalties of up to $1 million in fines and up to 20 years in prison for Americans who support international boycotts of Israel, including those organized by the United Nations.
Despite what we’ve become accustomed to in Republican members of Congress, who love Israel and happily support its security needs most lavishly, H.R. 867 did not make them happy.
Former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz likened the bill’s provisions to the tenth biblical plague in Egypt—the death of the firstborn.
“If this bill becomes law, how many Israeli products do I need in my home to avoid fines or prison?” Gaetz asked. “If I leave an Israeli-made product outside my home, is it the 2025 version of lamb’s blood that keeps my family safe?”
OK, obviously, the former congressman was invited to a Seder or two in his days. But do you nonetheless detect a hint of, you know, antisemitism in his erudite joke?
Mega-MAGA Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga), Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla), and Thomas Massie (R-Ky) were also among the Trump Republicans who hated the bill.
Rep. Luna tweeted: “H.R. 867, up for a vote tomorrow, aims to curb antisemitism but threatens First Amendment rights. Americans have the right to boycott, and penalizing this risks free speech. I reject and vehemently condemn antisemitism, but I cannot violate the First Amendment.”
Rep. Lawler, the bill’s co-sponsor, argued in defense of his proposed legislation, “This is simply holding the United Nations accountable. Was President Trump virtue signaling when he signed the original bill? And when did you become a defender of the United Nations?”
Good questions.
The bill had been scheduled for a vote on Monday but was abruptly pulled from the House calendar after facing backlash from an unusual alliance: MAGA-aligned critics and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which publicly urged Congress to reject the legislation, warning it posed a threat to First Amendment free speech rights.
Pro-Israel legislation typically receives broad bipartisan support, making this rare split among Republicans significant in stalling what many viewed as an extreme anti-BDS bill.
But now that CAIR has sensed vulnerability, will they try to pull Trump-aligned MAGA lawmakers into another round? It’s a development worth watching closely.
