“This is the US where boycotting is a right & part of our historical fight for freedom & equality," Palestinian-American Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib said.

As the United States government shutdown enters its third week, Republican senators Marco Rubio and James Risch proposed a bill targeting the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, a move representatives Bernie Sanders and Rashida Tlaib, among others, heavily criticized.

"It’s absurd that the first bill during the shutdown is legislation which punishes Americans who exercise their constitutional right to engage in political activity," former presidential candidate Sanders wrote on Twitter Monday. "Democrats must block consideration of any bills that don’t reopen the government. Let's get our priorities right."

The anti-BDS measure was presented in a wider Middle East foreign policy bill introduced last week amidst a partial shutdown of the federal government caused by a political blockade over funding a US$5 billion border wall between the U.S. and Mexico -- a campaign promise of U.S. President Donald Trump.

It’s absurd that the first bill during the shutdown is legislation which punishes Americans who exercise their constitutional right to engage in political activity. Democrats must block consideration of any bills that don’t reopen the government. Let's get our priorities right. https://t.co/rHvpBHtHI5 — Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) January 6, 2019