The reversal came from a backlash, including Catholic influencers and commentators.
By Catholics for Catholics
In a rapid change of course, the Trump administration changed its stance regarding a FEMA clause that mandated that companies who had commercial ties with Israel to maintain them or lose federal emergency funds.
The article was quietly removed Monday from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) website after it received backlash. The Trump administration threatened to withhold $1.9 billion in emergency disaster funds from cities and states who support boycotts of Israel and companies from that country, according to Euronews.
The news of the Trump administration’s article regarding Israel which required states to support that country drew criticism from Catholic influencers and commentators like Matt Walsh and Joshua Charles. They both posted on the X social media platform.
“There is just no way to reasonably claim that this qualifies as “America First,” posted Walsh.
There is just no way to reasonably claim that this qualifies as “America First” https://t.co/UcjQgwOH9g
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) August 4, 2025
Charles posted: “AMERICANS will be denied disaster relief by their own government if they boycott FOREIGN companies? Whether the State of Israel or any other country, this is a mockery of “America First.”
AMERICANS will be denied disaster relief by their own government if they boycott FOREIGN companies?
— Joshua Charles (@JoshuaTCharles) August 4, 2025
Whether the State of Israel or any other country, this is a mockery of “America First.”
Completely and totally unacceptable. https://t.co/ydHmdE8c0Z
At issue was the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which runs FEMA, when it removed the article from its website under its internal terms and conditions which specified that states “must not support severing commercial relations, or otherwise limiting commercial relations specifically with Israeli companies or with companies doing business in or with Israel” to qualify for the funding.
Traditionally, states depend on the emergency line of funding to finance search and rescue maneuvers in cases of natural disasters or local emergencies, staff salaries, equipment, and resources.
The spokeswoman for DHS, Tricia McLaughlin said that “FEMA grants remain governed by existing law and policy and not political litmus tests.”
The reprimanded clause took aim at the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which is formed to put economic stress on Israel and compel the country to end their more than 20-month long offensive on Gaza.
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