More than 100 Democrats supported ending US military aid to Israel in a House vote, signalling growing opposition to unconditional support. [Getty]
More than 100 Democratic lawmakers voted in favour of halting US military aid to Israel on Wednesday, exposing growing divisions within the party over Washington’s longstanding support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
The amendment, introduced by Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, sought to prohibit funding for Israel under the 2027 State Department and national security appropriations bill and eliminate the roughly $3.3 billion Israel receives annually through the US Foreign Military Financing programme.
The House of Representatives rejected the measure by 314 votes to 103, with 10 lawmakers voting “present”.
While the proposal failed overwhelmingly, voting patterns within the Democratic Party highlighted an increasingly fractured position on military assistance to Israel.
According to congressional voting records, 103 Democrats supported the amendment, while 98 voted against it and 10 voted present. Massie was the only Republican to vote in favour.
The vote comes amid mounting pressure from Democratic voters, progressive lawmakers and human rights organisations to reconsider US military support for Israel following sustained international criticism of Israel’s conduct of its genocidal war on Gaza.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who opposed the amendment, described it as “overly broad”, warning that it could have unintended consequences for US humanitarian assistance, refugee resettlement programmes, peacebuilding initiatives and embassy operations.
Despite opposing the measure, Jeffries acknowledged that US policy towards Netanyahu’s government needed to change, arguing there were more effective ways to do so.
House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark was among those backing the amendment, saying the current US approach “is no longer sustainable”.
Clark said her vote did not amount to an endorsement of every aspect of the proposal or the political motivations behind it, but reflected her belief that Washington should not provide unconditional military assistance to countries that fail to uphold US laws, interests and values.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also voted in favour of the amendment, while reaffirming her support for the US-Israel relationship and the so-called “two-state solution”.
Pelosi said the current situation served neither Israelis nor Palestinians and argued US policy should be reassessed in a way that advances a “just and lasting peace” in the region.
