More than 100 House Democrats voted Wednesday to cut off aid to Israel, backing Rep. Thomas Massie’s amendment to a State Department spending bill that failed 314-104.
The amendment would have eliminated $3.3 billion in funding, and it was introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky; every other member of his party rejected the amendment.
This time, a much broader swath of Democrats came along — "103 of the 211 members voting Wednesday, plus another 10 who voted 'present.'"
The House’s No. 2 Democrat, Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, said in an interview before voting for the amendment, "There's also a real sense that the status quo cannot continue."
Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, the former speaker, said she reluctantly backed the amendment to send a message that Americans "are rightly demanding an end to a perpetual cycle of war, and the Netanyahu government cannot maintain its current course," she said in a statement.
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries blasted Massie’s amendment as a "poorly constructed effort that could end humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza."
Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, said, "I think that’s the goal — making sure that Israel lives up to standards that we have for other countries. That's appropriate."
Rep. Jared Huffman voted "present" and said he would favor a more carefully targeted effort to end military aid to Israel "and certainly condition even the defensive aid."
Jeffries hosted two lengthy private caucus meetings where lawmakers hashed out their disagreements and eventually advised members to "vote their conscience" during a Tuesday meeting, and in a "Dear Colleague" letter he said a "meaningful change in direction is needed" especially as a 10-year security assistance agreement signed by former President Barack Obama expires later this year.
Rep. Greg Casar, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, urged colleagues to support the amendment and said, "The American people are crying out for an end to US tax dollars subsidizing Israel’s military." After the vote he said, "Starting today ... a majority of Democrats in this building refused to vote to send billions of dollars in weapons to the Israeli military."
Pro-Israel Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey said he thought Jeffries swayed Democrats on the fence to oppose the amendment and called the number of Democrats backing it "a devastating shift," adding, "I think people are bowing to political pressure instead of actually looking at the facts on this."
The supporters included Rep. Seth Moulton, who voted "yes" and said, "We simply cannot continue to condone Netanyahu’s actions that are against our moral conscience and our own national security interests." Rep. Lauren Underwood, Rep. Joe Neguse of Colorado and Rep. Valerie Foushee of North Carolina also voted for the amendment, and Rep. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts said, "We've all grown frustrated with Prime Minister Netanyahu's actions."
The still-sizable Democratic opposition, plus the "no" votes of 215 Republicans, was enough to sink the measure.
Sen. John Fetterman said he would leave the Democratic Party if it "officially" becomes "the anti-Israel party" and said putting "no aid for Israel" in the party platform would be a red line, adding that Democrats should support Israel as "the only democracy in the entire region."
Fetterman said he did not specify whether he would become a Republican or an independent if he left the party, and he has voted with Republicans on some issues including government funding and some of President Donald Trump's administration nominees; he was first elected to the Senate in 2022. His approval rating in Pennsylvania among Democrats has fallen to 19% and is 77% among Republicans, according to a Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday.
Massie, who offered the amendment, recently lost his re-election bid after a flood of pro-Israel lobby support boosted his rival, and Republican leaders made the amendment eligible for floor consideration.
Lawmakers and advocates are preparing for a longer fight over ties with Israel: buried inside this year’s National Defense Authorization Act is a US-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative that would deepen defense-industrial integration, a provision that Sen. Bernie Sanders warned could move the two defense establishments toward unprecedented integration; Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna tried to remove the provision but were blocked in the House rules committee.
Observers said the vote reflects a broader political shift that helped a cohort of candidates who ran explicitly against the old bipartisan consensus win Democratic primaries in New York, New Jersey, Colorado, Pennsylvania and Illinois, and that in a marquee Michigan Senate primary a candidate who voted alongside all Republicans to keep aid flowing also played a notable role in the debate.
Pelosi later called the amendment "ill-conceived" while saying she supported it "for the message that it sends."