Khanna on voting against aid for Israel: ‘A stance against a blank check to Netanyahu’

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said he voted against additional aid to Israel to oppose a “blank check” to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Khanna was one of the 37 Democrats who voted against sending more funding to Israel on Saturday amid its ongoing war in Gaza. The House approved a long-awaited foreign aid package on Saturday that includes more funding for Ukraine, Israel and U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific region.

“It was a hard vote. I mean, look, it — this was a stance against a blank check for Netanyahu and offensive weapons unconditionally while he’s talking about going into Rafah with — when we know more women and children are going to die,” Khanna said on ABC’s “This Week.”

“And the reason that you had people like Jamie Raskin, Lloyd Doggett, myself, who have voted for Israel aid year after year and voted for Iron Dome, take this stand, is that we wanted to make it clear that there has to be a change in strategy and no more famine and suffering in Gaza,” he added.

The foreign aid package — which was broken down into four separate votes — includes roughly $61 billion for Ukraine, $26 billion for Israel and humanitarian aid in Gaza and elsewhere, and $8 billion for Taiwan and other U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific.

Khanna released a joint statement with a number of Democrats yesterday about their decision not to support the funding bill for Israel and urged the U.S. to help work toward a cease-fire in the region to release the hostages.

“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. To protect that future, we believe
the United States must help achieve a cease-fire that allows hostages to be freed, humanitarian aid to be delivered, and peace talks to begin,” the statement read.