However, Jeffries said that House leadership would not whip members to join him in opposing the amendment because there are \u201cgood faith reasons that will result in Members voting in a variety of different ways,\u201d indicating that he is listening to shifting sentiment on Israel among Democratic voters and politicians. Jeffries\u2019 more moderate, pro-Israel stance has sparked some left-wing Democrats to call for his replacement as leader.<\/p>\n
Moreover, Jeffries called for a \u201cmajor reset\u201d in US-Israel ties due to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s policies over the years.<\/p>\n
\u201cA meaningful change in direction is needed,\u201d the House minority leader declared.<\/p>\n
\t The $3.3 billion targeted by Massie, an anti-Israel Republican who lost his primary in May, is part of the $3.8 billion that the US sends to Israel annually under its 10-year memorandum of understanding, which was signed by Barack Obama and expires in 2028. That aid is then used by Israel to purchase American-made weapons and equipment. Massie\u2019s proposed amendment would strip Israel of all of the allocated aid, except the $500 million designated for missile defense programs such as the Iron Dome.<\/p>\n \u201cMinority Leader Jeffries opposes the Massie-Khanna amendment to cut $3 billion of aid to Israel, but leaves members of his party to vote their conscience,\u201d Massie wrote on X. \u201cMy conscience is clear. I will vote against using American tax dollars to fund genocide.\u201d<\/p>\n Though Jeffries opposes Massie\u2019s amendment, his letter suggested that the next MOU beginning in 2028 not include any military subsidies.<\/p>\n \u201cIsrael has an advanced economy and is capable of paying for its own sophisticated weapons, as the Prime Minister recently acknowledged,\u201d Jeffries wrote. Indeed, calls for the United States to end military aid to Israel have come from both a growing swath of the American left, as well as from the Israeli government and some American conservatives.<\/p>\n Netanyahu has stated that he wants to begin winding down US military aid to Israel over the last two years of the Trump administration, transitioning the US-Israel relationship \u201cfrom aid to partnership.\u201d<\/p>\n Republican senator Lindsey Graham, who died suddenly this week, had been enthusiastically on board with the idea. He wrote in January that he\u2019d like to \u201cdramatically expedite the timetable\u201d of Israel tapering off US military aid to become \u201cmore self-sufficient.\u201d<\/p>\n Mike Huckabee, the US Ambassador to Israel, wrote on X last month that the next MOU between the two countries \u201cends aid & will be based on trade.\u201d<\/p>\n \t Multiple progressive Democrats who are critical of Israel have said they plan to vote with Massie to cut aid, including New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Texas Representative Greg Casar, despite concerns that the amendment will have an effect outside the bounds of military spending.<\/p>\n \u201cI am aware that the amendment as written may cut off both military weapons (~$3.3 billion) and some diplomatic funding (~$50 million),\u201d Casar wrote on X. \u201cWhile I would prefer to vote on an amendment that stripped just military funding, I think opposing the billions in military funding is what\u2019s most important here.\u201d<\/p>\n The Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project, a pro-Palestinian advocacy group, said in a statement that Democratic leadership ignored voters whom the group says increasingly want its representatives to halt US military aid to Israel. \u201cYet again, they\u2019ve missed the opportunity to stand with voters \u2014 and if they do not adjust course, they will repeat the disastrous mistakes of 2024 in 2028,\u201d said Margaret DeReus, the group\u2019s executive director.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, New York Representative Jerry Nadler, who is Congress\u2019 most senior Jewish member, told The Hill last month that he opposes the amendment and called it \u201cpoorly drafted.\u201d He added that it would have unintended consequences such as eliminating funding for US Embassy operations in the country. Democratic Representatives Greg Meeks and Adam Smith have also said they would vote no.<\/p>\n After Jeffries announced his intention to vote no during a closed-door caucus meeting on Tuesday, pro-Israel Democratic Representatives Josh Gottheimer and Richard Neal commended Jeffries for standing up to the party\u2019s growing pro-Palestinian wing, Axios reported.<\/p>\n Brian Romick, CEO of the pro-Israel group Democratic Majority for Israel, wrote in a statement to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that he disagreed with some of the points Jeffries made in his letter, but was pleased by Jeffries\u2019 opposition to the amendment and urged other Democrats to follow suit.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile we do not agree with every policy outlined in Jeffries\u2019 letter, we appreciate his commitment to ensuring that America\u2019s support for Israel\u2019s right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state remains ironclad,\u201d Romick wrote. He did not clarify where he specifically disagreed with Jeffries.<\/p>\n AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobbying group that has endorsed Jeffries and has become widely unpopular among Democrats, wrote to JTA that it supports Jeffries\u2019 vote against \u201cMassie\u2019s reckless amendment\u201d but did not address his remarks on the next MOU.<\/p>\n Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of the liberal group J Street, which also endorsed Jeffries, wrote that J Street backs Jeffries\u2019 decision and said the amendment is \u201cbeing used by Republican leadership to divide Democrats rather than advance a serious debate about US policy.\u201d But he also offered support to members who plan to vote in favor of the amendment, saying that this is \u201cone of the few opportunities to cast a recorded vote\u201d expressing opposition to how the Israeli government is utilizing American military assistance.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tUS Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, speaks after losing the Republican party\u2019s nomination during an election night watch party at the Marriott Cincinnati Airport, May 19, 2026, in Hebron, Kentucky. (AP Photo\/Carolyn Kaster)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/49abdb71-2b46-4a9b-ab22-76d976cf8bef-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tIsraeli Air Force F-35I fighter jets head to carry out strikes in Iran, in a photo published by the military on March 15, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)<\/p>\n
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