The 103 Democrats who voted this week to cut off U.S. aid to Israel have received significant financial support from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee since the PAC started contributing money to candidates during the 2022 cycle.
A Washington Examiner analysis of Federal Election Commission findings revealed that the more than 100 Democrats who supported ending aid to Israel have taken roughly $11 million from AIPAC, both in direct donations from the PAC and earmarked contributions. Many of the Democrats who voted yes have not previously taken AIPAC money. Forty-eight have solicited the PAC’s support since 2022.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) was joined by 103 Democrats earlier this week in support of his amendment that would have struck $3 billion of foreign aid to Israel, an issue that has roiled the Democratic Party. The amendment ultimately failed.
Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), a centrist Democrat who has taken heat from the Online Left in recent months, was one of the biggest beneficiaries of AIPAC donations. He raised $1.9 million from direct and earmarked contributions.
AIPAC’s support helped propel Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC) during her 2022 campaign for Congress. She rejected the group’s support earlier this year as she staved off a left-wing challenger who went after her for accepting money from AIPAC. Foushee, who has received more than $850,000 from AIPAC, voted yes on the amendment.
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House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) broke ranks from the rest of Democratic leadership to support the amendment, even as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) voted against it. Clark had taken $1.4 million from over 1,000 contributions from both AIPAC and individual donors earmarked through AIPAC.
Clark said in a statement that she would support the amendment in order to change the “status quo.”
“I will be voting yes, not because I agree with the entirety of the amendment, or the GOP’s cynical motivations for its consideration, but because I believe we must change course,” Clark said. “While Democratic Members will make different decisions on this amendment in good faith, we are absolutely united in our shared goal of permanent peace.”
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) joined Clark in voting for the amendment, after taking more than $19,000 in donations from AIPAC or individual contributions earmarked through AIPAC.
“For the good of the Israeli people and the Palestinian people, it is clear that U.S. policy must change to attain that goal,” the former House speaker said in a statement.
Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) voted against the provision and vowed to return funds to AIPAC, but he did not specify how much. If Ryan follows through on his pledge, he could be out a sizable chunk of campaign funds, as records show he has received $791,782 through AIPAC since 2022, the Washington Examiner reported Thursday.
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee ranking member Robert Garcia (D-CA) also voted to suspend aid to the Middle Eastern country. He has taken over 200 contributions that amount to $145,700.
It is not clear if any of the other Democrats who have received AIPAC money and voted for the amendment will reject the group’s endorsement in the future or return donations. The fundraising portals for those Democrats were turned off on AIPAC’s website as of Friday.
Israel has become a splintering issue in the Democratic Party, particularly on the left flank, leading up to this week’s vote, as support among Democrats for Israel has deteriorated rapidly in recent years.
In a letter to his colleagues, Jeffries wrote that the amendment is “overly broad” and could limit “humanitarian aid, refugee resettlement, peace-building and U.S. embassy operations.”
Jeffries pushed back on the sentiment that the party has split on this issue and denied tensions within the party.
When asked Thursday if there was discord in his caucus over the amendment, the minority leader said, “Absolutely not.”
The legislation would have amended the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, an annual foreign affairs spending bill, and would cancel the $3.3 billion in foreign military aid Israel receives.
The Massie amendment did not touch an additional $500 million that Israel gets each year in defensive weaponry, including its Iron Dome missile systems. Repealing that funding only attracted four Democrats and two Republicans, one of them Massie, when put to a vote last year.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this year that he supports sunsetting American aid to Israel and that he wants to begin the process now.
The Washington Examiner reached out to AIPAC, Clark, and Garcia for comment.