The Trump administration will not cut disaster aid to states and cities that boycott Israel, in an apparent reversal.
The change comes after backlash against "terms and conditions" that required states to desist from anti-Israel boycotts in order to qualify for $1.9 billion in disaster relief funding.
The Trump administration has already taken aggressive steps to crack down on anti-Israel agitators, some of whom are facing deportation from the United States.
As reports began circulating that the White House would tie FEMA funding to a state's relationship with Israel, some were outraged.
The conditions stood to impact $1.9 billion that "states rely on to cover search-and-rescue equipment, emergency manager salaries and backup power systems among other expenses," Reuters reported.
The move would have been mostly symbolic, since few states or cities have joined the anti-Israel "BDS" movement, which stands for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions.
Still, the proposal angered many, including some on the right who accused Trump of prioritizing Israel and betraying his promise to put "America First."
In a document dating from April, the Department of Homeland Security said that grant recipients must desist from advancing ideologies like DEI or "limiting commercial relations specifically with Israeli companies."
The conditions were listed as part of recipients' obligation to comply with "anti-discrimination" laws.
"DHS reserves the right to suspend payments in whole or in part and/or terminate financial assistance awards if the Secretary of Homeland Security or her designee determines that the recipient has violated any provision of subsection (2)," the document said.
A newer version of the requirements does not include the language pertaining to Israel, but the DEI language is still there.
A statement from DHS emphasized that it would continue to "enforce all anti-discrimination laws and policies, including as it relates to the BDS movement, which is expressly grounded in antisemitism."
"There is no FEMA requirement tied to Israel in any current [Notice of Funding Opportunity]. No states have lost funding, and no new conditions have been imposed," said Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin.
"FEMA grants remain governed by existing law and policy and not political litmus tests. DHS will enforce all anti-discrimination laws and policies, including as it relates to the BDS movement, which is expressly grounded in antisemitism. Those who engage in racial discrimination should not receive a single dollar of federal funding."
