103 House Democrats Back Amendment To Cut State Department Funds From Israel

According to Axios, 103 House Democrats voted Wednesday for an amendment to a State Department funding bill that would have barred any of the money from going to Israel, while 98 Democrats voted against it. The measure, introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), did not include a carveout for nonmilitary diplomatic funding, and several Democrats said they backed it to send a message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over actions in Gaza and Lebanon. The vote put House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) in the minority of his own party, though one House Democrat involved in efforts to defeat the amendment said Jeffries' opposition letter helped persuade 30 to 40 lawmakers on the fence, and another lawmaker estimated as many as 150 Democrats might have supported it without his intervention.