US House Votes Against Amendment to Cut Aid to Israel Amidst Democratic Divisions
US House Rejects Amendment on Israel Aid
The US House of Representatives has turned down an amendment aimed at halting financial assistance to Israel, revealing increasing rifts within the Democratic Party regarding this matter. The amendment, proposed by Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY), was defeated with a vote tally of 314 against, 104 in favor, and 10 abstentions. Notably, 103 of the 104 supporters were Democrats, with Massie being the sole Republican backing the proposal. Conversely, 98 Democrats opposed the amendment, while 10 chose to vote "present." This amendment was part of the fiscal year 2027 funding bill for the State Department and national security, which sought to prevent any allocated funds from being used for Israel and aimed to cut the Foreign Military Financing Program by $3.3 billion, the same amount earmarked for Israel.
List of Supporters for the Amendment
The amendment garnered backing from Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) along with 103 Democratic colleagues, as per the official House roll call. Below is the complete list of House members who supported Massie's initiative:
- Amo (RI)
- Ansari (AZ)
- Auchincloss (MA)
- Balint (VT)
- Barragán (CA)
- Beyer (VA)
- Bonamici (OR)
- Brownley (CA)
- Carbajal (CA)
- Carson (IN)
- Carter (LA)
- Casar (TX)
- Castro (TX)
- Chu (CA)
- Clark (MA)
- Crockett (TX)
- Crow (CO)
- Davis (IL)
- Dean (PA)
- DeGette (CO)
- Deluzio (PA)
- DeSaulnier (CA)
- Dexter (OR)
- Doggett (TX)
- Escobar (TX)
- Evans (PA)
- Foushee (NC)
- Friedman (CA)
- Frost (FL)
- Garamendi (CA)
- Garcia (CA)
- García (IL)
- Garcia (TX)
- Goodlander (NH)
- Green, Al (TX)
- Grijalva (AZ)
- Harder (CA)
- Hayes (CT)
- Hernández
- Horsford (NV)
- Houlahan (PA)
- Hoyle (OR)
- Ivey (MD)
- Jackson (IL)
- Jacobs (CA)
- Jayapal (WA)
- Johnson (GA)
- Johnson (TX)
- Kamlager-Dove (CA)
- Keating (MA)
- Kelly (IL)
- Khanna (CA)
- Lee (PA)
- Leger Fernandez (NM)
- Lofgren (CA)
- Lynch (MA)
- Magaziner (RI)
- Mannion (NY)
- Massie (KY)
- Matsui (CA)
- McBride (DE)
- McGarvey (KY)
- McGovern (MA)
- McIver (NJ)
- Mejia (NJ)
- Menefee (TX)
- Min (CA)
- Moore (WI)
- Moulton (MA)
- Mullin (CA)
- Neal (MA)
- Neguse (CO)
- Ocasio-Cortez (NY)
- Omar (MN)
- Pelosi (CA)
- Pettersen (CO)
- Pingree (ME)
- Pocan (WI)
- Pressley (MA)
- Quigley (IL)
- Ramirez (IL)
- Randall (WA)
- Raskin (MA)
- Ross (NC)
- Ryan (NY)
- Salinas (OR)
- Scanlon (PA)
- Schakowsky (IL)
- Scott (VA)
- Simon (CA)
- Smith (WA)
- Stansbury (NM)
- Takano (CA)
- Thompson (MS)
- Tlaib (MN)
- Tokuda (HI)
- Tonko (NY)
- Trahan (MA)
- Tran (CA)
- Underwood (IL)
- Vasquez (NM)
- Velázquez (NY)
- Waters (CA)
- Watson Coleman (NJ)
Democratic leaders in the House expressed differing opinions on the amendment. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) opposed it, stating it was "overly broad" and could jeopardize funding for humanitarian efforts, refugee resettlement, peace initiatives, and US Embassy operations. Katherine Clark also criticized the amendment for being "overly broad" and accused Republicans of trying to gain political advantage. Nevertheless, she voted in favor, arguing that the current situation is unsustainable and that the US should not provide unrestricted military aid to countries that do not align with US laws, interests, and values. Nancy Pelosi remarked that the amendment posed "an unfortunate choice," but emphasized that US policy needs to evolve to foster "a just and lasting peace in the Middle East," supporting the amendment for the message it conveys, despite labeling it as "ill-conceived."