Trump will withhold emergency aid from cities that support BDS

The Democratic mayoral candidate for New York City, Zohran Mamdani, has defended his support for the BDS movement.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The Trump administration said it would withhold funds designated for preparations for natural disasters in states that enact a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) policy against Israel.

To receive $1.9 billion in funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, states and cities must confirm that they do not deny “commercial relations specifically with Israeli companies.”

According to 11 agency grant notices reviewed by Reuters, the expenses include search and rescue equipment, salaries for emergency managers and backup power systems, among other items.

“DHS [the Department of Homeland Security] will enforce all anti-discrimination laws and policies, including as it relates to the BDS movement, which is expressly grounded in antisemitism,” a spokesperson for Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a statement.

Currently, 34 states have laws on the books against BDS.

Cities that agree to oppose BDS will receive a cut of $553.5 million that will be earmarked to prevent terrorism in dense areas.

Currently, the Democratic mayoral candidate for New York City, Zohran Mamdani, has defended his support for the BDS movement against Israel and his promise to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should the Israeli leader travel there.

Netanyahu and former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant were issued arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes during the Gaza war.

“I’ve seen the efficacy of nonviolent movements in creating compliance in international law, specifically with South Africa. That is what brought me to support BDS, and what I’ve said is that one need not visit Israel to stand up for Jewish New Yorkers,” Mamdani said at an event at B’nai Jeshurun synagogue in June.

Since Hamas’s invasion of southern Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza, New York City — home to the largest Jewish population outside Israel — has seen a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents.