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Massie Amendment Vote
Last week, House Democrats voted on an amendment introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie to cut $3.3 billion in annual US military aid to Israel from a State Department funding bill, and the amendment failed 314-104 while 103 Democrats supported it.
“Last week, more than 100 House Democrats voted to cut off military aid to Israel”
Vox says the vote’s significance was tied to the October 7 Hamas attacks and Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza, which it says has killed large numbers of Palestinian civilians.
The Hill reported that Democrats split over Massie’s amendment to cut all $3.3 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Israel from a spending bill, with 103 Democrats backing it and 98 opposing it, and it said the measure ultimately failed with Massie the lone Republican to support it.
Al Jazeera framed the outcome as evidence that “America’s decades-old bipartisan consensus on Israel has been shattered,” saying more than 100 House Democrats voted to cut off military aid to Israel even though the amendment failed because some Democrats and almost all Republicans voted against it.
Democrats Split, 2028 Looms
The Hill described how Democrats eyeing the 2028 presidency are trying to seize the narrative on Israel after the House split over Massie’s amendment, and it said Rep. Ro Khanna has been making media rounds following his recent detainment in the West Bank.
In an interview with Fox News host Gillian Turner, Khanna said, “If I could just finish, please, because this should be an outrage to any American citizen, what happened.”
The Hill also quoted Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Michael Leiter criticizing Khanna’s media campaign, saying, “That’s who the people you want to represent are — not in Israel,” in an interview about Khanna’s claims about his trip.
Al Jazeera, meanwhile, argued that the fracture in the bipartisan consensus is tied to Israel’s war on Gaza, saying “The bipartisan consensus that shielded Israel from meaningful congressional scrutiny for generations is beginning to fracture.”
What’s at Stake Next
Al Jazeera said the implications of last week’s vote are potentially historic because successive Israeli governments built their national security strategy on the assumption that American military assistance and diplomatic backing would remain bipartisan and largely unconditional.
It added that the “billions in US military aid” have financed advanced fighter aircraft, missile-defence systems, precision-guided munitions and joint military research that it says underpins Israel’s qualitative military edge.
Vox reported that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries opposed the Massie amendment, arguing it was overly broad and could jeopardize humanitarian assistance, while also calling for a “major reset” in US policy toward what he described as Israel’s “far-right Netanyahu government.”
The Hill described how prospective presidential candidates are staking out lanes on Israel, including Rahm Emanuel’s argument that the unconditional support from the U.S. enabled policies that isolated Israel from many allies and turned the country into “the world’s pariah.”
