WASHINGTON — The top House Democrats on the Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees said Monday that they will oppose efforts led by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-KY, to cut the $3.3 billion in U.S. aid to Israel expected under the memorandum of understanding if and when they come to a vote on the House floor. The effort is splitting the Democratic Caucus, and reportedly driving significant angst among rank-and-file Democrats in closed-door caucus meetings.
Rep. Greg Meeks, D-NY, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, told _Jewish Insider_ he plans to oppose the effort to strip the aid out of the 2027 State Department Appropriations bill, calling it a “got-me vote the Republicans are trying to play with.” Meeks said there are “so many unanswered questions” about the implications and effects of the amendment. “I know there is still danger [in Israel]. I don’t want Israel to be without what they need,” Meeks said. He also noted that many of the weapons that would be purchased with the funding would not be built for years to come. He said that the amendment leaves significant room for interpretation by the State Department. “There’s just too many factors to say … ‘We’re taking away $3.3 billion,’” Meeks said, noting the U.S. provides military aid to other countries like Egypt and Jordan. “I don’t think that it would be the wise thing … not good policy.”
But Meeks also highlighted his criticisms of Israeli tactics during the war in Gaza, including the use of heavy bombs to destroy buildings and the deaths of innocent civilians, “so we need to make sure that we are talking about and moving forward in those things.”
Rep. Adam Smith, D-WA, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, also told JI he plans to oppose the amendment to cut the $3.3 billion. “I’m against that,” Smith said of the attempt to cut the $3.3 billion. “I don’t think it has support because it cuts off humanitarian aid, military aid — all aid for Israel. So I don’t think there’s support for it, but we’ll see.”
Comments by Meeks and Smith closely echo warnings from Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee about the amendment — a sign that House Democratic leaders are coalescing around opposition to the amendment even as discussions in the caucus continue.
Meeks said he also planned to oppose a separate amendment that would strip a provision on U.S.-Israel cooperation from the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, another bill that is also expected to be considered this week. Massie is also leading that effort. Unlike Meeks, Smith has said he plans to support efforts to take the cooperation provision out of the NDAA, after previously opposing them. But the House Rules Committee rejected that amendment to the NDAA, and it will not receive a vote on the House floor, sidestepping a vote that had the potential to divide House Democrats but potentially raising the salience of the vote of the $3.3 billion in aid as Democrats’ only opportunity to vote on the U.S.-Israel relationship.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-CT, the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, declined to disclose her position on the amendment to cut the $3.3 billion in aid. “We’re talking about it,” DeLauro said. “I’m looking at what the Massie amendment is and where … we can try to move forward — what it means and what it doesn’t mean.”
Rep. Greg Casar, D-TX, the chair of the House Progressive Caucus, said he plans to support the amendment, regardless of the potential unintended consequences. “I am aware that the amendment as written may cut off both military weapons (∼$3.3 billion) and some diplomatic funding (∼$50 million). While I would prefer to vote on an amendment that stripped just military funding, I think opposing the billions in military funding is what’s most important here,” Casar said. Casar continued, “The Israeli government committed war crimes in Gaza and helped drag America into war with Iran. Americans should not be financing more weapons for [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu.” _Source: Jewish Insider_