Pro-Israel Democrats are pressing Republicans to disavow the Heritage Foundation’s report calling for the U.S. to phase out U.S. military aid to Israel over the next 20 years, arguing that a failure to do so would undermine their claims of supporting Israel.
“I’ll always oppose anti-Israel proposals, whether they come from the left or the right,” Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) said on X. “I hope my Republican colleagues will join me in denouncing this plan from their side of the aisle to fully cut off U.S. support for Israel, one of our closest allies.”
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said in a statement that “everyone — no matter their party — who claims to be a friend of Israel and the Jewish community needs to reject this report in the strongest possible terms.”
He said the report’s recommendations would undermine Israel and the United States, and that its very existence emboldens Iran and its terrorist proxies.
“Ensuring Israel’s security, and our own, is not a political issue,” Hoyer continued. “We must not let Heritage and the far right turn it into one.”
Robert Greenway, the director of the Allison Center for national security at Heritage, responded to Hoyer, saying “Your concerns are as gravely misplaced as your mischaracterization of our proposal,” and blasted recent Democratic presidents for having “throttled aid to Israel while appeasing our common enemies.”
Victoria Coates, the vice president of Heritage, added, “The only time a congressional Democrat will express support for Israel is when they think they can take a shot at Heritage.”
In a statement, Democratic Majority For Israel argued that the Heritage Foundation’s stature and influence in the conservative movement makes the proposal a serious concern for the pro-Israel community.
It noted that the think tank was responsible for the Project 2025 plan laying out an agenda for a Republican presidential term, which DMFI accused the Trump administration of implementing.
““The Heritage Foundation occupies a unique space in Washington, D.C., which is why this proposal must be taken seriously,” the organization’s CEO Mark Mellman said. “As the authors of Project 2025, which the Trump Administration has swiftly implemented, the Heritage Foundation is a leading right-wing think tank that sets the agenda for Republican elected officials and policymakers. The proposal should not only be rejected outright, but it must also be strongly condemned by Republicans and Democrats alike who are committed to a strong U.S.-Israel relationship.”
It also tied the proposal to “a dangerous trend: the lure of isolationism.”
“The U.S.-Israel relationship is stronger than any single partisan initiative, and it is essential that we continue to support and strengthen this alliance for the benefit of both nations,” DMFI continued.