WASHINGTON — A significant fracture within the Democratic Party was on full display Wednesday when more than half of House Democrats cast votes in favor of stripping $3.3 billion in U.S. military assistance to Israel — the clearest sign yet that longstanding bipartisan backing for the country is eroding amid the ongoing war in Gaza, which has claimed the lives of thousands of Palestinians.
The amendment ultimately failed by a vote of 104-314, falling short of the threshold needed to attach it to a broader national security spending bill. But the outcome laid bare how dramatically attitudes have shifted regarding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military campaign, which is now entering its third year.
House Democratic leadership itself was divided on the issue, with the vote widely viewed as a political test run ahead of the U.S. midterm elections that will decide which party controls Congress. Over 100 Democrats supported cutting the foreign military funding, while nearly as many opposed it. The vast majority of Republicans sided with maintaining the Israel aid package.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced his opposition to the measure, though he acknowledged that change is needed. “For the good of Israel and the Palestinian people, American policy in the Middle East must change,” Jeffries said.
In a letter to fellow Democrats ahead of a private caucus meeting where he addressed the matter, Jeffries wrote that he believes “there are more decisive ways to achieve the urgent change necessary when it comes to the far-right Netanyahu government.”
The growing rift over U.S. support for Israel poses a serious challenge for the Democratic Party, which is facing pressure from an energized progressive wing. Self-described democratic socialists have been gaining ground in several high-profile House races, including contests last month in New York.
While more centrist Democrats have continued to back U.S. support for Israel, an increasing number have pulled away from Netanyahu’s approach as the war has stretched on in response to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.
Democratic Whip Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts announced she would vote in favor of withholding the funds.
Republicans have used the Democratic divide to argue that the party is being pulled too far to the left — even as House Speaker Mike Johnson deals with his own internal tensions, as President Donald Trump’s most committed America First members push back against foreign military spending.
