Measure to cut Israel aid fails in bipartisan House vote

A House amendment to cut off all State Department funding to Israel failed decisively on Wednesday, per Axios. The final vote was three hundred fourteen to one hundred four. The measure exposed deep divisions within House Democrats, with their top two leaders voting opposite each other. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader, voted against the amendment alongside ninety-seven colleagues and two hundred fifteen Republicans. But Katherine Clark, the Democratic Whip, voted in favor, along with one hundred two other Democrats and Republican Thomas Massie, who sponsored the amendment. The split centered on what the measure didn't include: an exception for non-military diplomatic funding. Democrats who opposed it said they couldn't vote to cut such funding entirely, even if concerned about military support. Those voting yes, including Clark, said they felt compelled to signal that Israel's actions in Gaza and Lebanon have been unacceptable. The vote revealed the mounting political pressure Democrats face—several incumbents have already lost primary challenges this year over their Israel positions.

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