A group of left-leaning House Democrats is urging its colleagues to oppose the $26 billion aid package for Israel expected to pass on Saturday, hoping to maximize the number of “no” votes from the party in a bid to send a warning to President Biden about the depth of discontent in his political coalition over his support for Israel’s tactics in Gaza.
Make-or-Break Moral Choice
Framing the upcoming vote as a make-or-break moral choice akin to Congress’s votes to authorize and fund the Iraq war, progressive leaders in the House are working to muster a sizable bloc of Democratic opposition to the aid measure, which is all but certain to become law in the coming days.
Divisions Within the Democratic Party
There is little doubt that the bill, which would send roughly $13 billion in military assistance to Israel as it continues its offensive in Gaza, will pass the House, along with money for Ukraine, Taiwan, and other American allies. However, progressive Democrats estimated that 40 to 60 members of their party may oppose it on the House floor on Saturday, highlighting the fraught divisions the war in Gaza has sown within the Democratic Party.
Representative Pramila Jayapal, Democrat of Washington and the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, stated, “In the wake of those votes, people came around much, much later and said, ‘We shouldn’t have allowed that to go forward.’ And I think that this is that moment.”
Representative Joaquin Castro, Democrat of Texas, called it a “defining vote,” adding, “We’re either going to participate in the carnage, or we’re not.”
And it would highlight the fraught divisions the war in Gaza has sown within the Democratic Party, even as more Democrats including Mr. Biden have begun to criticize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to the conflict and urge him to better protect civilians.