More Than 100 U.S. House Democrats Back Bid To Cut Israel Military Aid, Exposing Party Divisions

WASHINGTON – More than half of Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives voted on Wednesday in favour of stripping $3.3 billion in annual military assistance to Israel, underscoring growing divisions within the party over U.S. support for Israel as the war in Gaza approaches its third year.

The amendment, introduced by Republican Representative Thomas Massie, failed by a vote of 314-104, with most Republicans and a significant number of Democrats voting to preserve the funding. However, the 104 votes in favour marked one of the strongest displays yet of Democratic dissent over Washington’s longstanding military backing for Israel.

The proposal sought to eliminate U.S. military aid to Israel from a broader national security spending bill. Although it was defeated, analysts said the vote reflected mounting unease among many Democratic lawmakers over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and the humanitarian toll of the conflict.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries opposed the amendment but said U.S. policy in the Middle East needed to change.

“For the good of Israel and the Palestinian people, American policy in the Middle East must change,” Jeffries wrote to Democratic colleagues, adding that he believed there were more effective ways to influence the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The vote also exposed divisions within the Democratic leadership. Democratic Whip Katherine Clark was among lawmakers who backed the amendment, while veteran Democratic Congressman Steny Hoyer argued that ending military assistance would weaken U.S. national security and undermine efforts to counter groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

Massie, a libertarian Republican from Kentucky, argued that the billions of dollars allocated to Israel could instead be spent on domestic priorities including infrastructure and veterans’ services.

The vote comes amid increasing political pressure on lawmakers ahead of the U.S. midterm elections, with progressive Democrats calling for tougher scrutiny of military aid to Israel while pro-Israel groups continue to advocate for maintaining Washington’s security commitments.

The war began after Hamas launched a cross-border attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking hundreds of hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel’s subsequent military offensive in Gaza has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, displaced much of the enclave’s population and fuelled an international humanitarian crisis.

Israel says its campaign targets Hamas and is aimed at preventing future attacks, while rights groups and several countries have accused it of disproportionate use of force and violations of international law. Israel strongly rejects allegations that it has committed genocide or deliberately targeted civilians.

Public opinion in the United States has also shifted during the conflict. Recent polling suggests support for Israel’s military campaign has declined among Democrats, particularly younger voters, reflecting broader debates over U.S. foreign policy, civilian casualties and humanitarian access in Gaza.

The failed amendment is unlikely to alter U.S. policy immediately, but the scale of Democratic support for reducing military assistance signals increasing political pressure on lawmakers and the administration as the conflict continues with no clear end in sight.

By Agencies