# 119-hr-4795: Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2026

119-hr-4795, Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Foxx, Virginia [R-NC-5] (R-NC); status passed_house; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4795
- As of: 2026-11-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-4795
- Congress: 119
- Title: Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2026
- Status: passed_house
- Introduced: 2025-07-29
- Sponsor: Rep. Foxx, Virginia [R-NC-5] (R-NC)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-11-01

## Summary

**Conditions federal higher-education funding on ending nonexpressive commercial boycotts of major U.S. strategic partners.** This bill would stop colleges from taking commercial actions meant to limit relations with designated partner countries or entities when there is no valid business reason and would tie compliance to federal funding eligibility. - Institutions: Colleges and universities would be banned from engaging in "nonexpressive commercial boycotts" of major strategic partners and could lose eligibility for federal Higher Education Act funding if they violate that ban. - Students and faculty: Schools seeking Title VI program funds would have to submit an annual certification by July 31 that they allow reciprocal participation with major strategic partners in study abroad, exchanges, conferences, joint research, and other academic programs on the same terms as other countries. Missing the July 31 filing makes the institution ineligible for Title VI funds for the following fiscal year, including funds that would have come from a prior year. - Policy signal: The bill states that limiting cooperative efforts with major strategic partners undermines U.S. security and economic vitality and directs institutions to maintain academic cooperation.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5] (D-NJ), 2025-07-29T00:00:00.000Z

## Votes

| Date | Chamber | Question | Result | Yea | Nay |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-09-03T00:00:00.000Z | house | On Passage | Passed | 237 | 169 |

## Provisions PRIA read

- College boycott limits tied to student aid: cost, medium. Upon enactment, colleges would need to avoid covered commercial boycotts to remain eligible for federal student aid under Title IV. The rule would cover refusing business or ending business ties to limit trade with covered U.S. strategic partners. It would apply only when the action lacks a valid b…
- Equal college exchange access, stricter funding rules: mixed, medium. After enactment, colleges participating in or applying for Higher Education Act Title VI programs would submit yearly certifications by July 31. They would promise equal terms for students and faculty taking part in academic programs with covered U.S. strategic partners. This would apply in both di…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4145: Ensuring Justice for Camp Lejeune Victims Act of 2025
- 119-hr-9250: Great American Outdoors Act 250
- 119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2555: Freedom of Association in Higher Education Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-hr-4795 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4795)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-4145: Ensuring Justice for Camp Lejeune Victims Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4145)
- [119-hr-9250: Great American Outdoors Act 250](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9250)
- [119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3514)
- [119-hr-2555: Freedom of Association in Higher Education Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2555)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4795 (as of 2026-11-01).