House Defeats Bid to End Israel Aid

The U.S. Capitol on June 16, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch TimesThe U.S. House on Wednesday rejected an amendment by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) that would have eliminated $3.3 billion in annual U.S. military aid to Israel, voting 314–104 to defeat the proposal.The vote exposed divisions within the Democratic Party, with 103 Democrats joining Massie in support of the amendment, while 98 Democrats voted against it and 10 voted present. Massie was the only Republican to vote in favor of the amendment.“Though my amendment to strike $3.3 billion in aid to Israel from the State Dept Approps bill did not pass, 104 House Members voted in favor of it,” Massie said on X. “The tide is changing. Americans want their tax dollars to be spent improving things here at home, not waging war and genocide.”The amendment was considered as the House debated the fiscal 2027 State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs appropriations bill.Before the vote, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) urged lawmakers to reject the amendment, calling it “overly broad” because he said it could restrict funding for humanitarian aid, refugee resettlement, peace-building efforts, and U.S. Embassy operations.While criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and calling for a “major reset” in U.S. policy toward Israel, Jeffries said the amendment was not the appropriate way to achieve those goals.“In addition, the so-called 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,” Jeffries’s letter to his colleagues stated.Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) made reference to Massie, who lost his primary election to a President Donald Trump-backed candidate in May.“Very proud of my @HouseGOP colleagues,” Fine posted on X after the vote. “Today we unanimously repudiated our soon-departing Jew-hating colleague, making clear that standing with our greatest ally is core to America’s interests.”Fine continued, “It takes a lot of effort to eradicate the green shoots of Jew Hatred that want to infect our party the way they have Democrats. Folks in Washington are learning I won’t allow it.”Netanyahu said he wants Israel to phase out its reliance on U.S. military aid over the next decade, saying the country has grown strong enough economically and militarily to become more self-sufficient.Israel currently receives about $3.8 billion annually under a 10-year, $38 billion U.S. assistance agreement that expires in 2028. Netanyahu said ending the financial component of military assistance would reflect Israel’s increasing independence while preserving a close strategic partnership with the United States.