House Democratic leaders split over U.S. aid to Israel as public opinion shifts

WASHINGTON — House Democrats were deeply divided Wednesday over a vote to end U.S. aid for Israel , an intraparty fight that split the party’s top two leaders.

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The rare public disagreement at the party’s highest levels highlights growing turmoil among lawmakers and the party base about how to handle U.S. relations with Israel. It pits a rising progressive wing calling for cutting off assistance to Israel, at least until the Israeli government changes its approach to Gaza, against center-left Democrats who are reluctant to upend the U.S.’ decadeslong alliance with Israel.

On Wednesday afternoon, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., voted against an amendment by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., that would cut off aid to Israel, calling the measure “overly broad.”

Minority Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, the No. 2 Democrat, broke with Jeffries and voted for it.

The amendment was rejected in a 104-314 vote, with 103 Democrats joining Massie in voting yes and 98 Democrats joining the rest of Republicans in voting no. Ten Democrats voted “present.”

The amendment by Massie, a vocal non-interventionist and fiscal conservative, would bar any funding in the national security and State Department appropriations bill from being used for Israel. It would also block $3.3 billion in U.S. security assistance for Israel.

Despite her reservations, Clark said in a statement before the vote, “it is clear that the status quo is not tenable.” She added, “We should not provide a blank check for military aid to any country that does not comply with U.S. law, interests, and values.”

“The Netanyahu government has failed to meet that standard. I will be voting yes, not because I agree with the entirety of the amendment, or the GOP’s cynical motivations for its consideration, but because I believe we must change course,” she said. “While Democratic Members will make different decisions on this amendment in good faith, we are absolutely united in our shared goal of permanent peace.”

In a letter to colleagues Tuesday, Jeffries wrote that the Massie amendment “would restrict our country’s ability to confront Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations in the region who are sworn enemies of both the United States and Israel.”

He added that “there are more decisive ways to achieve the urgent change necessary when it comes to the far-right Netanyahu government.”

The No. 3 House Democrat, Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, and Vice Caucus Chairman Ted Lieu, both of California, stuck with Jeffries and voted against the amendment, as did Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington, chair of the House Democrats’ campaign arm.

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who is retiring at the end of this term, voted yes, as did Assistant Minority Leader Joe Neguse, D-Colo.

While the amendment did not pass, it put lawmakers on record on the issue after Israel joined the Trump administration in beginning a war with Iran and as its unpopular war in Gaza approaches the three-year mark in October. At least two dozen people were killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza in the last two days, The Associated Press reported , despite a ceasefire.

Some Democrats said beforehand that they were wrestling with whether to vote for the amendment all the way up to the vote.

Rep. Ami Bera, D-Calif., who is on the Foreign Affairs and Intelligence committees, said he would vote “present” because he supports the U.S.-Israel relationship but does not “condone the Netanyahu government’s conduct of the war in Gaza and the resulting humanitarian crisis, its actions in Lebanon, its failure to confront escalating settler violence in the West Bank, and its role in drawing the United States into the current war with Iran.”

According to a Gallup tracking poll , U.S. public opinion on the long-standing Middle East conflict is shifting. In February, Americans said for the first time that they were more sympathetic to Palestinians (41%) than Israelis (36%).

The figure was more lopsided among Democrats: 65% said they were more sympathetic to Palestinians, while 17% said they were more sympathetic to Israelis.

As a result, House Democratic leaders have faced pressure from progressives in the caucus to take a more aggressive stand against Israel.

One day before the vote, Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar, D-Texas, circulated a letter to colleagues that championed a “yes” vote on the Massie amendment, arguing: “The Democratic Party needs a new approach to Israel and Palestine.”

“The American people are crying out for an end to US tax dollars subsidizing Israel’s military,” Casar wrote. “At a time when millions are struggling to make ends meet, we are sending billions of dollars to a military that has killed tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, destabilized the region, and helped lead us into war with Iran.”

In a statement, Casar said he would vote for the amendment, though he wished it were more narrowly tailored to target military funding rather than all funds.

Casar has accused Israel of waging “war crimes” in Gaza.