WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Congressman Peter Roskam (IL-06), co-chair of the House Republican Israel Caucus, released the following statement after House and Senate passage of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation, which includes bipartisan language Roskam authored to combat the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. These provisions, which were originally introduced as Roskam’s H.R. 825, the U.S.-Israel Trade and Commercial Enhancement Act, were unanimously adopted into the House and Senate versions of TPA in April.

“Today, for the first time in nearly four decades, Congress sent legislation to the President’s desk to combat efforts to isolate and delegitimize the State of Israel. The recent wave of boycotts originating in Europe, including French telecom company Orange’s decision this month to sever ties with Israel, demands a robust response from the United States. This is that response. The bipartisan TPA provisions I authored are simple: if you want free trade with the United States, you can’t boycott Israel. After today, discouraging economic warfare against Israel will be central to our free trade negotiations with the European Union. Congress will not be complicit in the marginalization of our ally Israel by watching these attacks from the sidelines. Instead, we have decided to fight back against the BDS movement and ensure the continued strength of the U.S.-Israel relationship.”

Click here to watch Roskam’s House floor speech on the anti-BDS provisions.

A broad, bipartisan coalition of outside pro-Israel groups and activists support the Roskam language, including AIPAC, Ambassador Michael Oren, AJC, Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, The Israel Project, Stand With Us, Zionist Organization of America, Republican Jewish Coalition, Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, Endowment for Middle East Truth, Act! for America, and Jewish War Veterans.