The House of Representatives were scheduled this week to vote on Rep. Mike Lawler‘s (R-NY) proposed HR 867, a bill that would criminalize private IGO-led boycotts of Israel and includes fines up to $1,000,000 and prison time up to 20 years.
MAGA Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) said she would not vote for the bill.
She wrote on X: “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. 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???”
Note: IGO stands for intergovernmental organizations, e.g. the United Nations or the European Union. An individual American citizen participating in a boycott of Israel on their own initiative would not be affected by this bill unless they were acting at the behest of an IGO.
I will be voting NO.
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) May 4, 2025
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.
But what I don’t understand is why we are voting on a bill on behalf of other countries and not the President’s… pic.twitter.com/faqfUUTQdD
Turning Point founder and influential MAGA adherent Charlie Kirk — who tracks and publicizes the priorities of lawmakers he seems out of step with the movement — is also against the bill.
Kirk wrote on X that “Bills like this only create more antisemitism, and play into growing narratives that Israel is running the US government. In America you are allowed to hold differing views. You are allowed to disagree and protest. We’ve allowed far too many people who hate America to move here from abroad, but the right to speak freely is the birthright of all Americans. This bill should not pass.”
Kirk added the threat: “Any Republican that votes for this bill will expose themselves. We will be watching very closely.”
Tomorrow the House will vote on HR 867, a bill that will criminalize private boycotts of Israel. Fines up to $1,000,000 and prison time up to 20 years.
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) May 4, 2025
Bills like this only create more antisemitism, and play into growing narratives that Israel is running the US government.
In…
On Sunday evening, Fellow Republican Congressman Thomas Massie (R-WV), who also said he would vote against the bill, reported on X: “Apparently HR 867 has been pulled from the schedule for this week. Thank you for your vocal opposition on this platform. It was a ridiculous bill that our leadership should have never scheduled for a vote.”
Massie added a warning about a version of the bill resurfacing in the future. He wrote: “They buried the original smaller version of this bill inside the 2018 NDAA. Look for them to do something similar in the near future for this legislation to expand the 2018 version.”
Note: Lawler is considering a run in the 2026 New York Governor race. MAGA-aligned Rep. Elise Stefanik is also reportedly eyeing a run against Democratic incumbent Governor Kathy Hochul.
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