The US House of Representatives rejected an amendment by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie that would have eliminated American funding for Israel from the fiscal year 2027 budget, with nearly every Republican and a slim majority of Democrats voting against the proposal.
The amendment failed by a vote of 104-314-10. Massie was the only Republican to support the measure, while 103 Democrats voted in favor, 98 Democrats voted against it, and 10 lawmakers voted present.
The proposal was offered as an amendment to the fiscal year 2027 funding bill for the State Department and national security. It would have barred any money in the legislation from being used for Israel and reduced the Foreign Military Financing Program by $3.3 billion, matching the amount allocated for Israel.
Although 103 Democrats backed the amendment, representing about 48% of the party’s House members, support fell well below reports that as many as 150 Democrats might vote in favor.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries urged lawmakers to oppose the amendment in a “Dear Colleague” letter issued Tuesday. Jeffries wrote that the proposal was “overly broad,” and “prohibits or would limit the use of funds for longstanding initiatives related to humanitarian aid, refugee resettlement, peace-building and U.S. Embassy operations.”
Even if it had been approved by the House, the amendment would not have changed US policy immediately. To become law, it would have required Senate approval and would also have had to overcome an almost certain veto by the president.
President Trump has made support for Israel a central plank of his foreign policy, making the amendment’s path to enactment unlikely even if it had secured House passage.
