Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Wednesday that she is now opposing all U.S. military aid to Israel, a shift in her previous position that made exceptions to support Israeli efforts to defend itself.
The new stance distinguishes Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., from both leaders in her party and other potential 2028 Democratic White House contenders, should she launch a presidential run.
“I believe the Israeli government is well able to fund the Iron Dome system, which has proven critical to keep innocent civilians safe from rocket attacks and bombardment,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement Wednesday. “Consistent with my voting record to date, I will not support Congress sending more taxpayer dollars and military aid to a government that consistently ignores international law and U.S. law.”
"Our allies who need our military aid must understand that we will provide it consistent with the Leahy amendment,” she added. The so-called Leahy law prohibits the U.S. from supporting a country's military that commits human rights violations.
Ocasio-Cortez revealed her new stance Tuesday at a virtual forum with the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, first reported by City & State.
In the past, Ocasio-Cortez voted against providing aid to Israel that could be used for offensive purposes but had expressed support for the country's Iron Dome defense system. It was a position that strained her relationship with some segments of the far left, including DSA, which in 2024 conditioned its support for Ocasio-Cortez, a democratic socialist, saying she must publicly oppose all funding to Israel, including for the Iron Dome.
DSA responded to Ocasio-Cortez's announcement in a statement in which national co-chair Megan Romer said, “DSA’s endorsement process begins at the local chapter level and NYC-DSA is still in the middle of that process, but we are happy to see the congresswoman engaging with her fellow chapter members in a discussion."
Gustavo Gordillo, a co-chair of the local chapter, New York City DSA, said the group was “heartened” to see Ocasio-Cortez’s new position. The chapter's voting on whether to endorse her for re-election began Wednesday and will close in a week.
“We commend her decision to oppose all funding for Israel, which has been our organization’s position for some years now,” Gordillo said in a phone interview Wednesday. “This was an area where we’ve been working through political disagreement.”
Ocasio-Cortez is shifting her position as U.S. voter support for Israel has plummeted. An NBC News poll last month found a dramatic shift: More registered voters viewed Israel negatively than positively. That was especially pronounced among independents and Democrats. President Donald Trump’s war with Iran, launched in partnership with Israel, has also proven to be unpopular among Americans.
During the Israel-Hamas war, the Israeli government imposed restrictions on humanitarian aid into Gaza with documented reports of starvation among some Palestinians. The United Nations has also cited war crimes against Israel for its treatment of Palestinians. Israel has denied violations and has said it is defending itself after the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack by Hamas that killed more than 1,000 people.
Tensions within the Democratic Party have flared over support for Israel, with the far-left flank agitating for more leaders to take a tougher stance against the U.S. ally. At the same time, a pro-Israel group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, is growing unpopular with the rank and file. AIPAC has continued to flex its financial muscles in elections, as groups aligned with it have poured millions of dollars into races to target candidates who have championed support for Palestinians or demonstrated softer support for Israel.
Other progressive House Democrats have opposed funding for the Iron Dome, including Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Summer Lee of Pennsylvania and Al Green of Texas. But unlike Ocasio-Cortez, none are viewed as potential 2028 presidential contenders.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., indicated Wednesday he also opposes U.S. financial support for the Iron Dome.
“Iron Dome is important to save civilian lives. Israel should have it, and they can pay for it themselves with their $45 billion budget. The US taxpayer should not be subsidizing them,” he said in a text message to NBC News after posting similar comments on X.
For Ocasio-Cortez, her new position is one that those on the far left have been agitating for. In 2024, she signed a statement with other Democratic members of Congress saying, “All of us support strengthening the Iron Dome and other defense systems and we are committed to a sovereign, safe, and secure future for Israel.” Last year, she opposed a defense bill amendment authored by then-Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., that would have pulled U.S. funding for the Iron Dome, saying on X that the provision would “cut off defensive Iron Dome capacities while allowing the actual bombs killing Palestinians to continue.”
In 2021, Ocasio-Cortez voted “present” on a $1 billion supplemental funding bill for the Iron Dome, saying her vote was the result of a rushed legislative process. But she said she believed the bill should have been opposed in part because it did not do anything to address “the persistent human rights abuses against the Palestinian people.”
“Contrary to popular narrative, this bill was not for all U.S. funding of the Iron Dome, and opposing it would not defund U.S. financing of the system in any way, shape, or form,” she wrote in explaining her vote.
“This bill adds an additional $1 billion in funding in one year to this system alone — for context, that is an amount in one year that approaches all the funding to this system we have provided over the last decade. ... I believe strongly that Congress should take greater scrutiny with all military funding across the world.”
The U.S. has provided Israel with steady and substantive financial support for decades. In 2016, the U.S. and Israeli governments signed a 10-year memorandum of understanding that goes through September 2028 providing $38 billion in military aid — $33 billion in grants to buy military equipment and $5 billion for missile defense systems.
