Trump’s pick for attorney-general faces Senate hearing later today – US politics live

More than 100 House Democrats on Wednesday voted to slash military aid to Israel, a significant rebuke of the longtime US ally as accusations that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government green-lit genocide in Gaza continue to convulse the party ahead of November’s midterm election.

The amendment proposed by Republican congressman Thomas Massie to a spending measure would have halted $3.3bn in planned aid – much of which would have gone to Israel’s military – but was rejected by a 104-314 vote, with 10 lawmakers voting present. It received the support of 103 House Democrats, or nearly half of the 212-strong caucus, underscoring how sentiment in the party towards Israel and the Netanyahu government has soured since the 7 October attack and Israel’s subsequent invasion of Gaza.

The provision resulted in an unusual split among top House Democrats, with minority leader Hakeem Jeffries and the caucus chair, Pete Aguilar, both saying they would vote against it. In a letter to members, Jeffries called Massie’s amendment “overly broad”, but said he would not formally try to persuade other Democrats to join him in opposition, citing “the strongly held views throughout the caucus in this important area of foreign policy”.

On Wednesday, the House Democratic whip Katherine Clark said she would support Massie’s amendment, saying in a statement “it is clear that the status quo is not tenable.

We should not provide a blank check for military aid to any country that does not comply with US law, interests, and values. The Netanyahu government has failed to meet that standard,” added Clark, the second-highest ranking House Democrat.