Speaking on the House floor Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, said “Israel does not need — or quite honestly deserve — more American money for weapons.”
Castro was one of 103 House Democrats who voted Wednesday to cut the $3.3 billion in military aid the U.S. supplies to Israel annually. The amendment was authored by Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, the only Republican in favor of the measure.
Massie’s amendment sought to strip Israel’s military assistance package from the fiscal year 2027 State Department and foreign operations appropriations bill.
A record number of representatives voted to cut the military aid. Nonetheless, the measure failed in a 314-104 vote, with Democrats split and nearly all Republicans opposed. A total of 98 Democrats and 215 Republicans voted against the proposed cuts. An additional 10 Democrats voted “present.”
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, whose South Texas district includes parts of San Antonio, was among the Democrats who opposed the measure. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also voted against it.
Ahead of his ‘no’ vote, Jeffries stated that the amendment 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, in remarks on the House floor, Castro had harsh words for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, saying the United States should “not reward a wrongdoer.”
“Prime Minister Netanyahu has taken Israel down an ugly path,” Castro said.
Regarding Israel’s claim of self-defense against attacks by Hamas, Castro stated, “Self-defense does not include indiscriminately bombing homes, hospitals, churches, schools or refugee camps.”
A recent poll by The New York Times found that 74% of Democratic voters opposed “providing additional economic and military support to Israel.”
“The American people have seen this tragedy with their own eyes,” Castro continued. “They have made their judgment. They do not support giving Israel more weapons. Do not reward a wrongdoer. Now it’s up to us in this chamber to take action.”
Castro said that Israel’s ambitions in the Middle East have grown beyond the Palestinian territories, where the death toll has topped 73,000.
“Today, [Israel] occupies not only Gaza and the West Bank, but parts of Syria and Lebanon. If there are no consequences, why in the world would Benjamin Netanyahu change what he’s doing?” Castro asked. “And words are not enough. Condemnations are not enough. If we hope to change Israel’s behavior, we must use our leverage.”
Netanyahu recently said he wants Israel to stop depending on U.S. military aid and have it “draw down to zero,” according to CBS. Critics argue the prime minister senses growing antipathy in the United States towards Israel’s military campaigns.
Though the proposed cut to Israeli military aid failed, U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, a Democrat whose Austin-area district previously included San Antonio, said the record number of Democrats who supported eliminating the funding signified a pivot for the party.
“This is an important moment, because nothing will be the same on this issue ever again,” Casar, who chairs the House Progressive Caucus, told reporters on the Capitol steps.
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