In a significant shift, more than half of House Democrats, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi and eight others from Northern California, voted to cut off all aid to Israel in a vote on Wednesday.
The vote was on an amendment to a larger appropriations bill. The amendment, which failed 314-104, would have reduced foreign military aid by $3.3 billion and prohibited any money from going to Israel. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who introduced the amendment, was the sole Republican to vote in favor of it.
Nine of the 16 Democratic representatives from Northern California voted in favor of the amendment. In addition to Pelosi, Reps. Mark DeSaulnier, John Garamendi, Josh Harder, Ro Khanna, Zoe Lofgren, Doris Matsui, Kevin Mullin and Lateefah Simon voted yes. Democratic Reps. Jim Costa, Adam Gray, Sam Liccardo and Jimmy Panetta voted against it. Democratic Reps. Ami Bera, Jared Huffman and Mike Thompson voted “present.”
Although the amendment failed, the vote demonstrated a significant change in Democratic support for Israel. In 2024, a vast majority of the House, including 173 Democrats, voted for an appropriations bill that designated $26.4 billion in emergency funding related to Israel and the regional conflict.
For five local Democrats who voted in favor of the amendment to gut aid to Israel, the vote was an about-face. Harder, Lofgren, Matsui, Mullin and Pelosi all voted in favor of the 2024 appropriations bill.
Pelosi, the former House speaker, explained her vote by referencing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“The American people are rightly demanding an end to a perpetual cycle of war, and the Netanyahu government cannot maintain its current course,” the former House speaker said in a statement. “Therefore, while this amendment is ill-conceived, I vote yes for the message that it sends.”
Pelosi, who is retiring from Congress after representing San Francisco since 1987, was endorsed in her final race in 2024 by AIPAC, which described her as a “steadfast advocate” for Israel.
Khanna, who represents Silicon Valley, co-sponsored the amendment with Massie. Last week, during a visit to the West Bank, Khanna’s van was blocked by armed Israeli settlers.
“I just don’t see how the United States can support aid to a state that has committed genocide.” Khanna said in a video posted to Facebook before Wednesday’s vote. “And frankly, I do not see how we can continue to support a state that detains Americans and an American Congressman like me.”
The three Northern California Democrats — Bera, Huffman and Thompson — who voted “present,” had all voted in favor of appropriation of funds to Israel in 2024, indicating a shift in their position on Israel. Voting present means the representative was there for the vote but declined to vote “yea” or “nay.”
Huffman, who represents the northernmost coast of California, said that while he supported the thrust of the amendment, it was too poorly drafted to win his vote.
“I almost never vote ‘present,’ but this amendment leaves me little choice,” Huffman said in a statement. “As written, it risks cutting off support for humanitarian organizations, peacebuilding efforts, and protections for vulnerable Palestinians. On an issue this consequential, Congress has a responsibility to legislate with precision, not substitute sloppy drafting for serious policymaking.”
Twenty-seven members of Congress, including Garamendi and Simon, signed a statement in favor of the amendment.
“As Members of Congress, it is our duty to ensure that our constituents’ hard-earned money is used in a way that advances America’s interests and values. For this reason, we do not support providing an additional $3.3 billion of American taxpayer dollars to be used for Israeli military operations in Gaza and Lebanon,” read the joint statement.
One of the four Northern California Democrats who voted against the amendment was Liccardo, who represents part of the Peninsula and South Bay.
“I have come to a set of conclusions that, taken together, will make nobody happy,” said Liccardo in a statement about his vote.
Despite favoring a cut to the $3.3 billion in aid for Israel, Liccardo said he believes the amendment was too broad to support. He said the amendment’s wording could prohibit any expenditures to maintain a U.S. embassy in Israel, putting Americans traveling abroad in peril and undermining American diplomacy and security.
Liccardo added that he didn’t want his position tied to amendment sponsor Massie personally, citing Massie’s record of voting against a 2022 resolution condemning antisemitism and being the sole vote against affirming Israel’s right to exist in 2023. Jewish community leaders he consulted urged him to make his point some other way rather than through Massie’s proposal, Liccardo said.
Instead, Liccardo voted against the appropriations bill itself, along with the majority of Democrats. Unamended, the appropriations bill passed later that day 217-209. The only Republican who did not vote for it was Massie.
The five other Northern California representatives — Republicans Vince Fong, James Gallagher, Tom McClintock and David Valadao and Independent Kevin Kiley — all voted against Massie’s amendment. The House seat for the East Bay district previously held by Eric Swalwell remains empty. Swalwell left Congress and dropped out of the California governor’s race this spring after he was accused of sexual assault and misconduct. He denies the allegations.