House Rules Committee Cancels Vote on Israel Military Aid Cut

The House Rules Committee canceled a planned vote on a bipartisan amendment that would have blocked $3.3 billion in annual U.S. military funding for Israel. The measure, submitted as Amendment #5 to the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2027, was sponsored by Representatives Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna.

If passed, the amendment would have eliminated funds from the Foreign Military Financing account and potentially $50 million in diplomatic funding, though it would have preserved $500 million for missile defense systems like the Iron Dome. The cancellation followed intense debate among House Democrats, with some critics arguing the bill was poorly drafted.

Prior to the cancellation, several Democratic representatives, including Greg Casar, Ilhan Omar, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, pledged their support for the measure. They cited concerns over war crimes and genocide in Gaza as justification for cutting weapons financing for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Conversely, representatives Greg Meeks and Adam Smith stated they would oppose the cut.

Representative Ro Khanna condemned the decision to block the vote, asserting that his office would not be intimidated by the pro-Israel lobby.