By Faygie Holt
To the dismay and disappointment of many in the local Jewish and pro-Israel community, the Colorado Democrats who represent the state in the US House of Representatives voted to block some $3 billion in funding to Israel.
The so-called “Massie amendment” to the national security appropriations act, introduced by Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, failed 314 to 104.
But more than half of all Democrats in the House voted in favor of it.
All Republicans but Massie, including those who represent Colorado, opposed the measure.
In a joint statement, the four local Democratic representatives — Diana DeGette (D-1), Jason Crow (D-6), Joe Neguse (D-2) and Brittany Pettersen (D-7) — said the vote reflected their opposition to Israel’s current government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and not Israel as a whole.
“We support Israel’s right to exist and defend itself,” the statement said. “We believe that both Israelis and Palestinians have a right to safety, security and self-determination. We should not be giving military aid to any country that does not comply with our laws and values.
“The Netanyahu government has failed to meet these standards,” the Colorado Democrats said.
A similar statement was issued by other House members.
Yet, there was no specification of what standards Israel failed to meet or what American values Israel failed to reflect.
As a July 17 editorial in The Wall Street Journal pointed out, “Israel has violated no US laws that we know of. As for US interests, Israel is fighting by the side of the US against Iran and fighting alone against Iran’s proxies that have killed Americans. . . . How is it a US ‘value’ to disarm an ally fighting against murderous enemies that fire rockets on civilian towns?”
Requests for comment were sent to several of the Colorado representatives, but there was no response as of press time.
The Jewish Community Relations Council of Colorado issued a release last week saying they were “deeply disappointed” in the vote and that this “blunt approach to foreign policy does not bring the region closer to peace or safety.”
In an interview with the Intermountain Jewish News, JCRC senior director Brandon Rattiner said he spoke to members of Colorado House delegation and their staffers prior to the vote and that there was genuine concern about its impact.
“The vote was causing them so much anguish and frustration,” he said. “Multiple congressional officials [told] me this is one of the most difficult votes they’ve taken in their career.”
Rattiner said that this was not being said just because they are in an election year, noting that some of the Democrats who voted for the Massie amendment do support Israel’s right to exist, but are “frustrated with the actions of the Netanyahu government and are trying to thread the needle.”
Unfortunately, Rattiner said, the amendment didn’t reflect that nuance. Therefore, the vote sent “a message to our community that has been disappointing to a lot of folks.”
Late last month, the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee congratulated Neguse and Pettersen on winning their Democratic primaries saying:
“These results further demonstrate that support for America’s alliance with Israel remains both good policy and good politics nationwide” and that they are “proud” to stand with leaders who “support a strong US-Israel relationship.”
However, now, while Neguse and Pettersen are still listed on AIPAC’s website of pro-Israel candidates, they are among a number House members whose donation links have been removed from the site in the wake of the Massie amendment vote.
Massie’s amendment, and the vote for the entire funding allocation for national security, came as recent primaries have seen a surge in far left or Democratic Socialist candidates besting long-time politicians to secure spots on the ballot.
This was the case for DeGette, Denver’s representative for decades, who lost her re-election primary to Melat Kiros for District 1 in Colorado.
Kiros opposes the Jewish state and has refused to call last year’s the firebombing attack in Boulder an act of anti-Semitism. She also refused to engage with the Jewish community in District 1.
Said Liora Rez, founder of Stop Antisemitism:
“The Democratic Party is confronting an alarming reality: AntiSemitic bad actors and radical, anti-Israel activists are increasingly setting the ideological agenda, turning support for Israel into a political liability.
“The fact that Israel, the world’s’ only Jewish state, is singled out for conditions and scrutiny that are not consistently applied to other strategic allies raises serious questions about the future of bipartisan support for one of America’s closest partners.”
She continued, “The US-Israel alliance has long served the strategic interests of both nations and should not become collateral damage to ideological extremism.”
Rattiner expressed a similar sentiment.
“Support for Israel has become so toxic in the Democratic Party that even folks we know [to support Israel] can’t muster the courage to vote consistent with their past votes.”
He added that it shows the “challenge the pro-Israel community has in making sure Israel remains a bipartisan priority.”
© IJN 2026
