On Wednesday, July 15th, 2026, House Democrats were sharply divided during a floor vote on an amendment to cut off aid to Israel, highlighting ongoing rifts within the party over support for the U.S. ally.

The amendment, introduced by Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who has consistently opposed foreign aid, sought to eliminate $3.3 billion in assistance to Israel. Massie submitted the amendment to the annual State Department appropriations bill, which the House passed later that day.

The amendment failed with a vote of 104 in favor, 314 against, and 10 present. Notably, 103 Democrats voted in favor, 98 against, and 10 voted present, marking a significant number of Democrats opposing continued aid to Israel.

In a letter to House Democrats on Tuesday, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries expressed opposition to Massie's measure, describing it as "overly broad in that it prohibits or would limit the use of funds for longstanding initiatives related to humanitarian aid, refugee resettlement, peace-building and U.S. Embassy operations." Jeffries also warned that the amendment would restrict the United States' ability to confront Hamas and Hezbollah. Despite his opposition, Jeffries acknowledged the "strongly held views" within the party and stated that leaders would not attempt to persuade members to vote a certain way.

Greg Casar of Texas, chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, recognized concerns about the amendment eliminating humanitarian aid but emphasized that "opposing the billions in military funding is what's most important here."

Democratic Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts announced her support for the amendment, arguing for stripping aid from Israel.

The vote represents a notable moment in the Democratic Party's internal debate over U.S. support for Israel, with more Democrats than ever before voting to halt funding to the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, despite the amendment being seen as an imperfect vehicle for their movement.

Sources

Reported by Caitlin Yilek, a politics reporter at CBSNews.com based in Washington, D.C., and former member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.