House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Tuesday informed fellow Democrats that he will vote against an amendment that aims to cut off US military aid to Israel.

While the amendment to the fiscal 2027 spending bill for the State Department and overseas programs is certain to fail given overwhelming Republican support, it is seen as another bellwether of the Democratic Party’s rapidly waning support for Israel.

A vote on the legislation could be held as early as Wednesday.

In explaining why he cannot support the amendment, Jeffries faulted 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 US Embassy operations.”

He argued in a letter to colleagues that the amendment submitted by Republican Representative Thomas Massie would “restrict our country’s ability to confront Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations in the region who are sworn enemies of both the United States and Israel.”

However, Jeffries said that House leadership would not whip members to join him in opposing the amendment because there are “good faith reasons that will result in Members voting in a variety of different ways,” indicating that he is listening to shifting sentiment on Israel among Democratic voters and politicians. Jeffries’ more moderate, pro-Israel stance has sparked some left-wing Democrats to call for his replacement as leader.

Moreover, Jeffries called for a “major reset” in US-Israel ties due to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies over the years.

“A meaningful change in direction is needed,” the House minority leader declared.

The $3.3 billion targeted by Massie, an anti-Israel Republican who lost his primary in May, is part of the $3.8 billion that the US sends to Israel annually under its 10-year memorandum of understanding, which was signed by Barack Obama and expires in 2028. That aid is then used by Israel to purchase American-made weapons and equipment. Massie’s proposed amendment would strip Israel of all of the allocated aid, except the $500 million designated for missile defense programs such as the Iron Dome.

“Minority Leader Jeffries opposes the Massie-Khanna amendment to cut $3 billion of........

© The Times of Israel