New GOP bills may result in flight bans and funding cuts for university protesters

Two Senate bills aimed at university protests could see participants end up on a no-fly list and universities lose federal funding if they do not promptly remove encampments.

On Tuesday, Sens. Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced the No Flights for Terrorists Act, and on Thursday, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) introduced the Encampments or Endowments Ac; both bills came in response to pro-Palestinian protests that have spread to college campuses across the country.

The No Flights for Terrorists Act would place people who “encouraged crimes of violence against Jewish persons,” supported terrorist groups, or have a discipline record from a college or university for similar conduct on a no-fly list. The Transportation Security Administration’s no-fly list is the same one that includes terrorist suspects, and it is a part of the terrorist watch list.

“Hamas terrorist sympathizers don’t just hate Israel, they hate America and everything we stand for,” Marshall said in a press release. “These Far-Left paid professional agitators are promoting terrorism with no fear of the consequences from this Administration and these University Presidents who are coddling them to safeguard their donor lists.”

“When protestors chant ‘we are Hamas’ and carry around ‘Death to America’ posters, we should believe them,” Blackburn added. “Any student, professor, or paid protestor in America who promotes terrorism or engages in terrorist acts on behalf of Hamas should immediately be placed on the TSA No Fly List.”

The no-fly bill has been criticized, however, by some conservatives as going too far, representing a violation of the First Amendment and an extension of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“This bill is another DEI-style effort to provide hate speech protections for a single ethno-religious group,” Christopher Rufo, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, said in a post on X. “It is unnecessary, undermines the principle of colorblind equality, and raises a number of fair criticisms. Why not include penalties for those who have ‘encouraged crimes of violence’ against white persons? Or black persons? Or Eskimos? The sponsors do not say.”

The measure was filed as an amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill currently being weighed by the Senate.

Vance’s bill, the Encampments or Endowments Act, was filed Thursday and would block universities from receiving federal funding if they do not remove unlawful encampments such as the ones seen at many schools across the country.

“We cannot allow people who hate our country to turn campuses into garbage dumps,” Vance said in a press release. “My legislation will force colleges to follow the law, protect their students, and shut these encampments down. If they refuse, they’ll pay a hefty price. It’s time to end this national embarrassment.”

The measure would force institutions of higher education to remove encampments within seven days of them being erected if they impede core functions of the school. Universities found to be noncompliant would lose access to institutional aid and student aid, such as Pell Grants and federal loans, for five years.

The schools would also be required to provide the funding for such student aid out of pocket. Failure to do that would result in a 50% tax on a school’s endowment assets.

The two bills come after the House overwhelmingly passed the controversial Antisemitism Awareness Act, which would give the Department of Education the authority to apply an expansive definition of “antisemitism” to civil rights law enforcement. Critics have slammed that bill as unconstitutional and an affront to free speech.

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“This bill is little more than an effort to score political points and is so poorly drafted that it violates the Constitution and could have serious ramifications for the Christian community,” Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), who voted against the Antisemitism Awareness Act, said in a press release. “For a matter as serious as this, the House should have considered the bill through regular order where those concerns could have been considered and alleviated.”

“The passage of H.R. 6090 is the DC Cartel’s latest attack on the Constitution,” he added. “We must quickly right the ship before the Uniparty tramples the Constitution once and for all.”