Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee are warning that an effort by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) to cut aid to Israel from the State Department’s annual funding bill could have further-reaching consequences than intended and impact a range of other programs and issues, Jewish Insider has learned.

Those concerns come amid reports of an outpouring of agita among House Democrats about how to approach the amendment — a reflection of how far debate among Democrats over aid to Israel has shifted.

Though Massie has focused his messaging around the amendment on the $3.3 billion in U.S. military funding to Israel laid out in the U.S.-Israel memorandum of understanding, the amendment also includes blanket language stating that “none of the funds made available under this Act shall be obligated or expended for Israel.”

Democrats on the Appropriations Committee are warning that it would be up to the State Department to interpret how to implement the amendment, but that the amendment would likely also require the department to withhold funding for joint U.S.-Israel development programs in underserved countries, the Middle East Partnership for Peace program, the Middle East Regional Cooperation program supporting Israeli-Arab scientific cooperation and longstanding funding for refugee resettlement in Israel — a line item that dates back to efforts to resettle Soviet refugees.

The legislators believe, depending on the State Department’s interpretation, it may also defund U.S. Embassy operations in Israel, U.S. support for the Palestinian Security Forces, educational and cultural exchanges and even U.S. military sales to Israel not funded by the U.S.

Democrats on the committee are also emphasizing that Israel is one of 35 recipients of U.S. military funding, that the funding includes requirements on how it is used and that the orders in question generally take years to fulfill.

Funding for cooperative missile-defense programs with Israel would not be impacted by the amendment, as that funding comes through the defense appropriations process, a separate bill.

The amendment was originally set to come up for consideration this week in the House but — amid a rebellion by some House Republicans over the Senate’s failure to pass the SAVE America Act, President Donald Trump’s top-priority voter ID bill — Republicans were unable to approve a procedural vote to open consideration of the State Department bill.

House Democrats are set to hold a virtual meeting on Sunday to discuss the situation.

AIPAC has been lobbying aggressively against the amendment, with an action alert to members urging them to contact their representatives in Congress to oppose the amendment. In messaging for Democrats, the group emphasized that the memorandum of understanding was finalized by the Obama administration and in the eight appropriations cycles since, “Congress has thus far never failed to ensure Israel has the resources it needs to defend its families.”

“Israel is on the front lines fighting against our shared enemies in the Middle East,” the AIPAC messaging reads. “Robust U.S.-Israel security cooperation is vital to advancing our mutual security interests around the world. Cutting funding for assistance to Israel would embolden our adversaries and undermine a key pillar of longtime U.S. national security policy.”

The message also describes Israel as a “model ally” defending the U.S. and shared values against common enemies and the funding as a “smart and cost-effective investment.”

J Street is also opposing the amendment, focusing on its impacts on MEPPA, MEPI and MERC, which the group says “play an important role in peacebuilding and people-to-people relations, including focusing specifically on Israeli-Palestinian peacebuilding in the case of MEPPA.”

The group did not specifically defend the military funding but said it “supports a rapid and responsible phaseout of the $3.3 billion in U.S. military aid to Israel when the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding expires in FY2028 and believes the United States should honor its existing commitments rather than abruptly terminating assistance.”

At the same time, it offered talking points for members who ultimately support this amendment: “Given the realities on the ground, Members may choose to support this amendment,” adding that members should note that the funding does not impact missile defense and should express support for restoring civil programs.

The anti-Israel group A New Policy is also claiming in messaging to members that the U.S. funding for Israel set to be disbursed this year would be consistent with the MOU because of the additional funding appropriated in the 2024 national security supplemental bill. But the MOU specifically guarantees $3.3 billion to be provided annually each year, without consideration of any additional funding provided in other years.

DMFI is also urging lawmakers to reject the amendment, emphasizing both the military and non-military impacts.

“Israel is facing threats from Iran and its terrorist proxies across the region. Cutting off Israel entirely would not create peace. It would embolden America’s adversaries and make a wider regional war more likely,” the group said on X, emphasizing that U.S. support to Israel ultimately helps defend the U.S. and keep American forces out of harm’s way.

DMFI also said that offensive weapons systems are needed to prevent attacks before they happen, and that “eliminating all U.S. funding for Israel is not serious oversight. It is abandonment without a plan.”

Trump urged Republicans to abandon their obstructionist tactics on the issue, and their weekly schedule released Friday indicated that Republican leadership intends to seek to bring the State Department appropriations bill forward again in the coming week.

Lawmakers are also slated to consider the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act on the floor next week.

That bill will bring with it more fights over the U.S.-Israel relationship, with plans by Massie to offer an amendment to eliminate a relatively routine provision on U.S.-Israel military cooperation that that far right and far left have falsely framed as a merging of the American and Israeli militaries and a surrender of U.S. sovereignty to Israel.

Had the House opened consideration of the State Department bill last week, it was also set to consider an amendment by Massie on cutting U.S. funding for Jordan, including military aid, as well as an amendment by Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX) and Andy Biggs (R-AZ) banning any funding for the U.N. and an amendment by Roy to cut funding for the Middle East Partnership Initiative, which funds educational exchange programs for students from the Middle East, among other programs.

J Street, in its communications with lawmakers, offered more robust support for the military funding for Jordan.