The Massie Amendment and Israel’s Exception

James Steinmetz – The Public Trust

On July 15, the House held a vote on the “Massie Amendment.” The Massie Amendment was attached to the annual National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, the spending bill that funds the State Department, foreign aid, and related programs. If it had passed, it would have stripped about $3.3 billion in Foreign Military Financing for Israel from that bill (“Rep. Massie (R‑Ky.)...”). So this was more than a symbolic vote; it would have actually cut money from U.S. aid to Israel (Brooks).

Congress has voted on measures related to U.S. support for Israel many times over the past few years, ranging from broad funding packages that preserve aid to smaller amendments aimed at reducing or conditioning it. Most of the time, these votes barely register as news, since the result is often predictable. This one is worth paying attention to, though, because a majority of Democrats backed it, which points to a real divide within the party (Brooks; Rogerson). More and more voters are paying attention to the issue, especially as candidates speak out against Israel’s actions in Gaza and the wider human rights concerns surrounding the war.

Thomas Massie, after whom this amendment is named, faced a serious primary challenge in Kentucky earlier this year, in a district Massie would’ve likely won comfortably if not for a wave of major donor support behind his opponent. No other Republicans supported cutting aid to Israel, which reflects the party’s current position. Shortly after this occurred, AIPAC and aligned donor networks showed how quickly support can shift when lawmakers break with the expected line (Sella). That is how political pressure can work in Congress. You may have supported them in the past, but a single break with the expected line can carry political consequences. This is evident in their influence on parts of the Republican Party. Many of them appear to base their actions on what will keep them in power rather than on principle.

This divide in the Democratic Party was reflected last year when Hakeem Jeffries, the House Minority Leader, declined to endorse Zohran Mamdani after Mamdani emerged as an outspoken anti-Zionist figure (Wright). More recently, AIPAC has used aligned political groups such as the United Democracy Project in Michigan’s Senate race, which makes money flow from different sources while obscuring the source of influence. That matters because most people only see the final ad, donation, or campaign push, not the structure behind it. That same pattern of money and influence also shapes how foreign aid to Israel is debated, defended, and protected in Congress.

People will often say, “Why care about foreign aid? It’s such a small portion of the overall federal budget” (Brown). Congress often treats many foreign aid programs as normal budget items that can be reduced, frozen, or redirected more easily than Israel-related assistance (Masters). Israel’s aid is tied to long-term security cooperation and military support rather than ordinary development aid (Masters). Even if that is true, it does not mean tax dollars should be spent without ethical scrutiny. When the government sends money abroad, it should serve the interests of the American people rather than policies that conflict with basic moral responsibility.

This goes beyond one vote. It reflects a broader pattern in American politics, where foreign policy is often treated as distant and abstract even when ordinary taxpayers pay for it. That is why these votes matter: they show whether elected officials are willing to follow principle when donor and party pressure is strongest.

Aside from our “closest ally” receiving more American aid than any other country, U.S. policy gives Israel unusually favorable treatment in defense assistance. When the United States sends fighter jets to allies, Israel often receives specially tailored versions or related defense support under different conditions. They are being placed on such a high pedestal, and many of these standards reflect Israel’s special role in U.S. policy. Daily, innocent women and children are killed, and life in Gaza is shaped by constant surveillance and control. Schools and hospitals have been bombed. Settlers in the West Bank shout racist remarks and displace inhabitants (Fatsa). That is a reminder of the conduct associated with Benjamin Netanyahu, whose leadership has drawn widespread human rights criticism and ICC scrutiny over Israel’s war on Gaza (“Netanyahu”).

So the next time you hear a politician say something you like, look back at a moment like the Massie Amendment and ask what they actually did, and whether they deserve the position they hold. Ultimately, it is we the people who should remain in control. Hopefully, someday we will have a federal budget that prioritizes education, healthcare, and infrastructure over military spending and humanitarian suffering.

Bibliography:

Brooks, Emily. “100 House Democrats Vote to Cut Off Aid to Israel, showcasing Party Shift.” The Hill, 15 July 2026, https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5970608-pelosi-clark-massie-israel-amendment/.

Brown, Nick M., and Emily M. McCabe. Foreign Assistance: An Introduction to U.S. Programs and Policy. Congressional Research Service, 10 Jan. 2022, https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R40213.

Fatsa, Nazım. Ethnozionism: An Assessment of Israel's Ethnic Zionist Policies. Social Science Research Network, 30 Oct. 2025, https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5685622.

Masters, Jonathan, and Will Merrow. “U.S. Aid to Israel in Four Charts.” Council on Foreign Relations, 7 Oct. 2025, https://www.cfr.org/articles/us-aid-israel-four-charts.

“Netanyahu.” International Criminal Court, 20 Nov. 2024, www.icc-cpi.int/defendant/netanyahu.

“Rep. Massie (R-Ky.) Introduces Amendment Cutting $33 Billion Funding for Israel.” C-SPAN, 15 July 2026, https://www.c-span.org/clip/us-house-of-representatives/rep-massie-r-ky-introduces-amendment-cutting-33-billion-funding-for-israel/5202920.

Rogerson, Riley. “In Seismic Shift, More Than 100 House Democrats Vote to End Israel Aid.” Politico, 15 July 2026, https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/15/israel-aid-vote-house-democrats-00999917.

Sella, Adam. "These 16 Democrats Voted to Stop Israel Aid. AIPAC Took Action." The New York Times, 18 July 2026, https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/18/us/politics/aipac-democrats-donations-israel-vote.html.

Wright, Kendall. “Jeffries Having ‘Conversations’ with Mamdani, but No Endorsement.” ABC News, 19 Oct. 2025, https://abcnews.com/Politics/jeffries-conversations-mamdani-endorsement/story?id=126658300.