GOP lawmaker’s bill to end aid to Israel fails – but gets backing of 103 House Democrats

Rep. Thomas Massie’s bill pushing to end aid to Israel fails in the House of Representatives, but wins the backing of roughly half of Democratic representatives.

By World Israel News Staff

The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly rejected an effort to eliminate $3.3 billion in annual military aid to Israel on Wednesday, though the measure won the support of 103 Democrats – nearly half of the party’s delegation in the lower chamber of Congress.

The amendment, introduced by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, failed by a vote of 314-104. Massie was the only Republican to support it, while 215 Republicans voted against it.

Democrats divided almost evenly: 103 voted for the amendment, 98 opposed it and 10 voted present. Four Democrats did not vote.

The measure was offered during consideration of the fiscal 2027 National Security, Department of State and Related Programs Appropriations Act. It would have prohibited funding provided by the legislation from being used for assistance to Israel, effectively removing the $3.3 billion in annual Foreign Military Financing included in the bill.

The amendment would not affect approximately $500 million in separate annual funding for Israeli missile-defense programs, including Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow, because that money is appropriated through the Defense Department.

Democrats who opposed the amendment argued that its language was too broad and could interfere with diplomatic, humanitarian and counterterrorism programs in addition to military financing.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries voted against the measure but declined to pressure other Democrats to follow his position.

Jeffries described the amendment as “overly broad” and said it could limit humanitarian assistance, refugee resettlement, peace-building efforts, US Embassy operations and programs directed against Hamas and Hezbollah.

At the same time, Jeffries called for a “major reset” in US policy toward Israel and said that “for the good of Israel and the Palestinian people, American policy in the Middle East must change.”

The disagreement extended to the highest levels of the Democratic leadership. House Minority Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, the party’s second-ranking House member, voted for the amendment despite acknowledging problems with its wording.

“The status quo is not tenable,” Clark said before the vote.

“We should not provide a blank check for military aid to any country that does not comply with US law, interests, and values,” she added, arguing that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government had failed to meet that standard.

Clark said she continued to support Israel’s existence, security and right to defend itself, as well as US assistance for defensive missile systems. She said her vote was intended to demand a change in the use of American military aid rather than an end to the US-Israel alliance.

Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, one of Congress’s most prominent longtime supporters of Israel, also voted for the amendment while criticizing its construction.

“The American people are rightly demanding an end to a perpetual cycle of war, and the Netanyahu government cannot maintain its current course,” Pelosi said.

“Therefore, while this amendment is ill-conceived, I vote yes for the message that it sends.”

Massie, a libertarian-leaning opponent of foreign aid who recently lost a Republican primary to a candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump, presented the measure as both a fiscal and foreign-policy issue.

He argued that the United States should spend the money on domestic priorities, including roads, bridges and veterans, and said American weapons had contributed to civilian casualties in Gaza.

“I think we should stop it — we should put them on a diet,” Massie said during the House debate.

Massie said Israel had long been the United States’ largest foreign-aid recipient and argued that Congress should not continue providing military financing while the federal deficit grows and domestic programs remain underfunded.

Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, a former House majority leader and longtime advocate of the US-Israel relationship, led opposition to the amendment from his party.

“I rise in strong opposition to this amendment, which would dangerously undermine American national security,” Hoyer said.

He argued that assistance to Israel strengthens the United States’ ability to confront Hamas, Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed organizations that threaten both countries.

Republican Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart of Florida, who chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee responsible for the bill, said most of the Israeli military financing is spent purchasing weapons and equipment produced by American companies.

He also pointed to cooperation between the United States and Israel against Iran’s nuclear and missile programs as evidence that the aid serves broader US security interests.

The vote represented a dramatic change from previous congressional debates over Israel. In 2016, the United States and Israel signed a 10-year memorandum of understanding providing $38 billion in security assistance from fiscal 2019 through 2028. The arrangement included $33 billion in Foreign Military Financing and $5 billion for missile defense.

Congressional support for that agreement was nearly unanimous at the time. A House resolution endorsing the memorandum passed 405-4 in September 2016.