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Top House Democrats on Tuesday said they will oppose an effort to cut funding from Israel’s military, amid a rebellion from voters over US support for the Middle Eastern ally that has roiled recent primary elections.
The party has been debating how to vote on an amendment that would halt $۳.۳bn in military aid for Israel, which Republican congressman Thomas Massie has proposed adding to an appropriations bill for the state department and related agencies. Democrats were debating the amendment, which may come up for a vote before the House of Representatives later this week, in the context of a slew of primary victories by candidates who have vowed to take a hardline against Israel.
The trend has seen Democratic incumbents unseated in New York and Colorado, and could play a role in deciding contested House and Senate primaries in Michigan and Missouri in the weeks ahead.
In a letter to House Democrats that was reported by the New York Times, Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, said he would oppose Massie’s amendment, calling it “overly broad” and warning it could cut off funds from humanitarian aid programs and complicate efforts to counter militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
“In my view, there are more decisive ways to achieve the urgent change necessary when it comes to the far-right Netanyahu government,” Jeffries wrote. He also accused the House’s Republican leaders of “trying to weaponize an amendment they do not support for nakedly partisan reasons”.
Pete Aguilar, the third highest ranking House Democrat, later joined him in opposing the amendment.
“It’s clear that the Netanyahu administration has done everything they can to isolate Israel, and we need to ensure that we are building more friends in the region, not having fewer,” he told a press conference.
Both lawmakers argued that the US should rethink its approach to Israel and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government has faced accusations of genocide from international commissions over its incursion into Gaza following the ۷ October attacks.
Jeffries called for “a major reset” in relations between the two countries that recognizes both Israel’s right to exist and leads to the creation of a Palestinian state. With a ۱۰-year memorandum of understanding signed under Barack Obama with Israel soon to expire, Jeffries said the next agreement should “strictly adhere to our human rights laws and values” and acknowledge Israel’s ability to afford its own weapons.
Joe Biden’s support for Israel following the ۷ October attack rocked his aborted bid for a second term, and has haunted some Democratic incumbents who sought re-election this year. In Colorado, longtime congresswoman Diana DeGette last month lost her party’s nomination to Democratic socialist Melat Kiros, while in New York, incumbents Dan Goldman and Adriano Espaillat fell to Democratic socialist primary challengers who criticized their stance on Israel.
The issue has loomed large in Missouri, where freshman representative Wesley Bell is facing a challenge in the Democratic primary from Cori Bush, the former congresswoman he ousted in ۲۰۲۴ with the help of heavy spending from pro-Israel groups. It’s also a factor in the primary to replace retiring Democratic senator Gary Peters in Michigan, where former public health official Abdul El-Sayed has criticized his opponent Haley Stevens for her support of Israel.
Asked about whether that dynamic affected House Democratic leadership’s stance on Massie’s amendment, Aguilar acknowledged that “there needs to be a change in the relationship moving forward with Israel” but downplayed the impact of the views of lawmakers who may win election in November.
“We’re not thinking about what a Democratic candidate is going to to say in December after they’re sworn in … that’s not part of the calculus,” he said.
