The hotly contested vote gave lawmakers their first chance this Congress to weigh in directly on taxpayer-funded aid to Israel.<\/a><\/p>\n House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., joined 97 other Democrats in opposing its elimination, while the chamber’s second-ranking Democrat, Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., joined 102 other Democrats in supporting the measure. Ten Democrats voted present.<\/p>\n House Minority Leader H to akeem Jeffries speaks alongside Rep. Pete Aguilar and Rep. Katherine Clark during a news conference in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 8, 2026. (Anna Moneymaker\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n DOZENS OF DEMS FLIP ON ISRAEL, VOTE TO BAN ARMS SALES IN PROTEST OF IRAN WAR<\/a><\/p>\n Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., a leading Israel critic, offered the measure as an amendment to a State Department appropriations bill, calling the country the “biggest welfare recipient of the United States.”<\/p>\n He was the lone Republican to support the amendment.<\/p>\n Opponents argued the measure would damage one of the United States\u2019 most critical relationships in the Middle East amid the Iran war and hamper Israel’s ability to combat terrorist organizations, including Hamas and Hezbollah.<\/a><\/p>\n “The same terrorists and terrorist entities that threaten Israel also threaten the United States and our people directly,” Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., said Wednesday. “When we give Israel the tools and capabilities to eliminate these terrorist threats \u2026 we are making America and the American people safer.”<\/p>\n The Florida Republican also noted that the vast majority of the funding is used by Israel to purchase American-made weaponry, supporting the U.S. industrial base.<\/p>\n A notable group of Democrats agreed, offering sharp criticism of the Massie amendment.<\/p>\n “This amendment would embolden the enemies of peace, those pursuing the complete elimination of Israel and those who seek the death of Jews,” former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said during debate on the measure.<\/p>\n Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., speaks to members of the media outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, June 25, 2026. (Graeme Sloan\/Bloomberg via Getty Images)<\/p>\n MIKE HUCKABEE REJECTS RO KHANNA’S ISRAEL VISIT CLAIMS: ‘NOT HELD AT GUNPOINT’<\/a><\/p>\n Jeffries, who announced his opposition to the Massie amendment during a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, argued the measure was poorly drafted. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., the third-ranking House Democrat, agreed.<\/p>\n “As written, it is overly broad in that it prohibits or would limit the use of funds for longstanding initiatives related to humanitarian aid, refugee resettlement, peace-building and U.S. Embassy operations,” Jeffries wrote in a “Dear Colleague” letter, adding that U.S. policy toward Israel must change.<\/p>\n Clark, his deputy, and a bevy of Democrats rejected his position, arguing the country\u2019s war in Gaza \u2014 an event some lawmakers have labeled a genocide \u2014 necessitated a need to end financial support to the Jewish state.<\/p>\n “If we hope to change Israel\u2019s behavior, we must use our leverage,” Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, said on the House floor. “The American people have seen this tragedy with their own eyes. \u2026 They do not support giving Israel more weapons.”<\/p>\n Massie\u2019s amendment did not include language preventing non-military aid from also being cut off.<\/p>\n “It’s really bad for our ally, for our national security. They shouldn’t be messing around like this,” Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, told Fox News in June.<\/p>\n The Ohio Democrat also accused Republicans of putting the measure on the floor to expose divisions among his party.<\/p>\n Wednesday’s vote comes as a growing number of Democrats take an increasingly hard line<\/a> against Israel, according to recent polling.<\/p>\n An NBC News survey<\/a> released in March found that 67% of Democratic voters have more sympathy for Gaza than Israel, while just 17% said the opposite.<\/p>\n A marcher carries a large Israeli flag while wearing a blue Yeshiva Derech HaTorah shirt and walking up Fifth Avenue with fellow marchers at the Israel Day on Fifth parade in New York. (Sal Media)<\/p>\n Three socialists trounced establishment-aligned candidates in New York\u2019s June primaries<\/a> while largely running on opposition to Israel.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who supports terminating U.S. aid to Israel, was pressed to support Hamas\u2019 Oct. 7 invasion of Israel during an interview<\/a> with a leftist news outlet Tuesday.<\/p>\n Though Khanna declined to say the brutal attack was justified, the questioning was viewed by several Democratic commentators as reflective of growing hostility toward Israel within the party.<\/p>\n Given changing attitudes, some Democrats predicted Massie’s amendment would draw significant support.<\/p>\n![\"Hakeem](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/House-Dem-leadership.jpg\")
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