Half of All Democrats on Capitol Hill Support Measure Slashing Military Funding to Israel

On Capitol Hill, half of all House Democrats voted Wednesday to support a measure slashing military funding to Israel. The amendment was proposed by Republican Congressmember Thomas Massie. It would have eliminated $3.3 billion in annual U.S. military assistance to Israel. The measure was ultimately defeated by House Republicans, along with Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and caucus chair Pete Aguilar, who vowed to continue funding for Israel. But the House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark supported Massie’s amendment. She wrote in a statement, “We should not provide a blank check for military aid to any country that does not comply with U.S. law, interests, and values. The Netanyahu government has failed to meet that standard.” The former speaker of the House, Congressmember Nancy Pelosi of California, also voted to cut off funding to Israel, saying that Americans “are rightly demanding an end to a perpetual cycle of war, and the Netanyahu government cannot maintain its current course.” www.democracynow.org