By the Staff of AFP
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) blasted her Republican and Democratic colleagues on July 18 after all six of her amendments to the defense appropriations bill failed in the House of Representatives.
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The lower chamber advanced the legislation, which allocates $832 billion in funding for Department of Defense programs for fiscal 2026—the largest amount ever appropriated by Congress.
Greene offered an amendment to cut funding for the Israeli Cooperative Program—an agreement via which the U.S. provides Israel $500 million for programs for missile defense. That amendment was spiked in a lopsided 6-422 vote.
The amendment garnered support from true America-first Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and a group of Democrats that included Rep. Al Green (Texas), Rep. Summer Lee (Pa.), Rep. Ilhan Omar (Minn.) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (Mich.).
On the House floor, Green excoriated her fellow members of Congress, saying:
“As the House considers the defense appropriation bill today that cost the American people $832 billion, it’s important to mention that this is the funding for our great men and women serving in our military and our nation’s defense. The Department of Defense’s mission statement is to deter war and ensure our nation’s security, and that is worthy of the American people’s hard-earned tax dollars.
“However, the American people are $37 trillion in debt, so this is money that is being spent that they already don’t have.
“My amendment would strike $500 million in funding for nuclear-armed Israel’s missile defense system. And it’s important to phrase it that way. Israel is a nuclear-armed nation which is very capable of defending itself, and they have been proving that, as we’ve watched on the world stage. The United States already provides Israel with $3.8 billion annually in foreign aid—$3.8 billion. That’s a lot of money.
“Additionally, the April 2024 security supplemental included $8.7 billion for Israel. That is nuclear-armed Israel. And, during the recent 12-day war, the United States used 15% to 20% of our terminal high-altitude area-defense missile stockpiles defending nuclear-armed Israel, which cost us over $800 million.
The $500 million provided in this bill will fund Israel’s—that is nuclear-armed Israel’s—missile defense system, the Iron Dome David Sling Aeros system, yet Israel is a nuclear-armed nation. That’s a pretty big deterrent for any of their enemies. Any nation that has a nuclear bomb has the greatest threat against their enemies.
“The United States typically accounts for 15% to 20% of Israel’s defense budget. Even though Israel— nuclear-armed Israel—has universal healthcare for their citizens and subsidized college for their citizens. They’re able to provide that, however, here in America, we’re $37 trillion in debt.
“My amendment to strike $500 million in foreign aid will ensure an America-first Department of Defense. And that is exactly what we need and we haven’t had for a very long time.”
