THOMAS MASSIE MOVES TO ELIMINATE ALL $3.3 BILLION IN ANNUAL U.S. MILITARY AID TO ISRAEL

 THOMAS MASSIE MOVES TO ELIMINATE ALL $3.3 BILLION IN ANNUAL U.S. MILITARY AID TO ISRAEL

U.S. Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) has introduced an amendment that would eliminate the entire $3.3 billion the United States provides annually to Israel through the Foreign Military Financing program.

The proposal would prohibit the use of funds in the current appropriations bill for Israel and remove the $3.3 billion allocation from the budget. This is significant because the $3.3 billion package is the cornerstone of the long-term military aid agreement between the U.S. and Israel. The funding enables Israel to purchase U.S.-made military equipment, weapons systems, and defense technology.

The amendment would not affect the annual $500 million in funding for missile defense programs like Iron Dome, but it would eliminate the much larger military funding component. The proposal has garnered support from progressive Democrats such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Greg Casar, who have indicated they would back the amendment despite their broader political differences with Massie.

Their support stems largely from concerns regarding the humanitarian consequences of the war in Gaza. However, the amendment faces an uphill battle. Congress has historically maintained strong bipartisan support for military aid to Israel, and similar attempts to reduce or place conditions on the aid have generally failed by wide margins.

Nevertheless, the vote is significant because it forces lawmakers to go on the record regarding whether they support the continued provision of billions in military aid at a time when public debate over U.S. involvement in the conflict has become more intense than at any point in recent decades.

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