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House vote splits Democrats
House Democrats split sharply on last week’s vote over an amendment to cut $3.3 billion in annual US military aid to Israel from a State Department funding bill, with Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky bringing the measure to the floor and it failing 314-104.
“By Palestine Media Agency, July 20, 2026”
Vox describes the result as a shift from a similar 2024 House vote where only 37 House Democrats supported cutting military aid to Israel, while the later vote drew 103 Democrats, nearly half of the House Democratic caucus.
The debate is tied to the October 7 Hamas attacks and Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza, which Vox says has killed large numbers of Palestinian civilians.
Fox News frames the same roll call as a crystallizing moment, saying Massie engineered an amendment to cut off $3 billion in aid to Israel and that 103 Democrats joined him to suspend the assistance.
Fox News also quotes Rep. Greg Casar, chair of the House Progressive Caucus, saying, "This is an important moment because nothing will be the same on this issue ever again."
Quotes, pressure, and primaries
In the House, the vote breakdown included 10 Democrats voting "present," and Fox News reports that 98 Democrats voted to reject Massie’s effort while 103 Democrats voted to suspend the assistance.
Fox News quotes Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., saying, "Democrats here in the House have finally decided to do what the people, our voters, the constituents we represent, have been asking us to do."
Vox reports that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries opposed the Massie amendment, arguing it was overly broad and could jeopardize humanitarian assistance, and Vox adds that Jeffries called for a "major reset" in US policy toward what he described as Israel’s "far-right Netanyahu government."
Vox also includes Democratic Rep. Brad Schneider, who represents Illinois’s 10th Congressional District, arguing that Massie’s amendment was "hastily crafted and poorly written" and calling it "a messaging bill and nothing more".
The dispute is playing out in Democratic primaries, with Vox saying Democratic socialist candidates who criticized Israel and opposed continued US military aid recently won House primaries in New York and Colorado.
What’s at stake next
Vox says Congress must vote to approve the funding tied to a 10-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the Obama administration with Israel, committing the US to seek $38 billion in military assistance for fiscal years 2019 through 2028.
Vox adds that the shift in Democratic support could have real consequences because the debate is no longer about whether to criticize Israel but how far that criticism should alter the relationship with Israel.
L’Express reports that nearly three-quarters of Democrats want to reduce or eliminate U.S. military aid to Israel, with forty percent calling for its complete halt, and it links the change to the military operations in Gaza and Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies.
L’Express also says the issue is making its way into midterms and cites a July Washington Post/Ipsos poll, while noting that in October 2023 only 28% of Democratic voters believed the United States was supporting Israel too much.
Vox describes Rep. Brad Schneider’s view that he voted no because "if we’re going to move toward peace, we need to do so in a constructive way," while Fox News reports that Steny Hoyer said the amendment would "dangerously undermine U.S. national security."
