cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/33487836
By MEE staff
Published date: 21 July 2025 21:11 BSTThe New York lawmaker voted against an amendment by Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene last week that sought to block $500m in Congress’ annual defence spending bill for Israel’s Iron Dome programme.
Fellow Democrats Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar [as well as Democrats Al Green of Texas, Summer Lee of Pennsylvania and Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky - PL] had supported Taylor Greene’s amendment, which eventually lost in a 422-6 vote.
In a post on X on Saturday, Ocasio-Cortez claimed that Greene’s amendment did “nothing to cut off offensive aid to Israel nor end the flow of US munitions being used in Gaza”.
Didn’t pass the purity test. Back to being a field slave. Also, you personally aren’t doing enough and are therefore colluding with the oppressors. I am infallible.
You are allowed to say you like progressive policies and also hate giving weapons to genociders.
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Manipulative title, fuck off.
So we want civilians to be killed by rocket attacks now?
That makes it clear this “pro-Palestinian” movement is not actually against civilians being killed… they actually do want civilians to die. It’s just they want only civilians of a specific ethnicity to die.
Fellow Democrats Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar [as well as Democrats Al Green of Texas, Summer Lee of Pennsylvania and Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky - PL] had supported Taylor Greene’s amendment, which eventually lost in a 422-6 vote.
So there’s a willingness of the “pro-Palestinian” movement to ally itself with anti-semites of the nationalist white supremacist variety. Nationalists and “socialists” finding common ground in their hatred of Jews. Where have I heard this one before?
Wait so, you would be ok with countries giving money to Hitler so they can build defense systems in Germany?
Not only this but I wouldn’t trust a genocidal maniac state in not using this money for other military purposes. The best way of keeping civilians alive is ending the war not stoking it. Moreover such blocks can actually force Israel to transfer some of its offensive resources back to defensive. Not that I believe MTG’s intentions were good.
Going full Godwin right out of the gate?
An odd move to make given you’re aligning with a self described nationalist like MTG. I’d think given the position you’re taking you’d want to downplay the references to Nazis.
you’re being so disingenuous
Oh, so you honestly believe Marjorie Taylor Greene suddenly has sympathy for the “pro-Palestinian” cause? Or is it possible she might have some other motivation for this amendment? What do you think MTG’s motives are?
MTG absolutely did this because she’s an anti-semitic freak who believes in jewish space lasers. But you’re being disingenuous because it’s obvious the co-signers aren’t interested in her motivations.
What do you call two people voting with an antisemite? Three antisemites.
Look at the vote count. It was never going to pass. It wouldn’t have changed the outcome no matter which way they voted, so it’s purely a vote indicating their principles. They could’ve abstained (refusing to vote with nutjob MTG but also refusing to vote for funding), but instead voted with MTG to signal that they are fine with being in alignment with white supremacist antisemitism.
But now we know their principles are to vote with an antisemite to indicate they want Israeli civilians to die.
Yup called it (In a distant post) AOC is not a good person. Replace her with Zohran Mamdani
But no blood on the doors or Schumer or Jefferies.
This whole shitshow is just the octillionth example of the left biting its own dick off instead of attacking the fascists stomping on it.
AOC’s post:
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s amendment does nothing to cut off offensive aid to Israel nor end the flow of US munitions being used in Gaza. Of course I voted against it.
What it does do is cut off defensive Iron Dome capacities while allowing the actual bombs killing Palestinians to continue.
I have long stated that I do not believe that adding to the death count of innocent victims to this war is constructive to its end. That is a simple and clear difference of opinion that has long been established.
I remain focused on cutting the flow of US munitions that are being used to perpetuate the genocide in Gaza.
So, this is a dumb explanation. It’s like saying you would never support giving a knight a sword, just armor and a sheild. The armor and sheild are what let’s him mow down peasants on the battlefield with impunity, you can’t separate them out.
That being said, this is getting fucking ridiculous. The amendment was never going to pass (it got 6 votes), so this was entirely symbolic. Beyond that, she voted against the defense spending bill it was attached to, so in end, she didn’t support arms to anyone. She’s also one of the strongest voices on Gaza in congress (an admittedly low bar); she’s been voting against sending arms to Israel since before October 7th, she usually votes, “present,” on Iron Dome funding, and she’s called what’s happening in Gaza a genocide on the House floor. I can count on one hand the number of U.S. politicians willing to say, “genocide,” when talking about Israel. Behind Omar and Talib, she’s probably the most reliable pro-Palestinian Representative.
I’m assuming that she had some reason for voting against the amendment, and I assume it has to do with optics. Maybe she she thought siding with MTG would hurt her, maybe she thought voting against the Iron Dome would make her vulnerable to AIPAC attacks. It sucks, but Bowman and Bush both lost their seats to AIPAC money. The reality is you have to play politics sometimes, and if that means not making a symbolic vote for a doomed amendment, that’s not the worst compromise to make.
I’m not sure I understand this argument. Everything is essentially money. If America gives them funding for the Iron Dome, that leaves Israel with more money to buy offensive weapons.
Exactly. Remember this when people claim we can turn the Democratic party with progessive candidates. The progressive candidates are the ones always turned by the Dems, not the other way around. It’s their MO.
AOC is a beautifully blooming neoliberal, and it’s time for all to stop worshipping her. She had proven over and over again that she’ll vote for neo-liberal interests above all and justify it by wrapping it with a bow of humanity.
Think of all the American lives that could be saved with that money before you justify spending on the iron dome to protect foreigners from the consequences of committing Genocide. AOC is not your friend.
Do you even know how to read? Read her actual response. This amendment does NOTHING to stop aid to Israel.
I think you maybe misread it. It does nothing to stop offensive weapons. It does cut off “defensive” weapons.
I dont agree with her assumption that defensive weapons are fine but offensieve weapons are what needs to stop. Defensive weaponsallow Israel to act with impunity. They are part of the problem. If we are supplying Israel with defensive weapons and we are all just ok with that, we should supply lebanon, Iran, Palestine, Egypt, and syira with defenesive weapons too, if they are such peaceful and righteous things? And why is it on the US taxpayer to pay for these? We aren’t Israel’s daddy and we dont owe them anything. Let them buy their own. They have free college, free health care, etc, and we dont.Here it is again: AOC’s post:
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s amendment does nothing to cut off offensive aid to Israel nor end the flow of US munitions being used in Gaza. Of course I voted against it.
What it does do is cut off defensive Iron Dome capacities while allowing the actual bombs killing Palestinians to continue.
I have long stated that I do not believe that adding to the death count of innocent victims to this war is constructive to its end. That is a simple and clear difference of opinion that has long been established.
I remain focused on cutting the flow of US munitions that are being used to perpetuate the genocide in Gaza.
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Which mod removed this comment and why?
Probably for civility, because it told me to “f off Ivan”
I’m not offended that they told me to f off, but I’m deeply frustrated that I keep getting accused of being a Russian propagandist or a MAGAT when criticizing liberals instead of engaging with what I’m saying.
I’m not a republican, I’m a socialist Palestinian.
I think supporting Hamas might be the reasoning. Also fuck Isreal too. I didn’t want to even dip my toe in that old conflict , yet here i go… full STOP no more funding to isreal, a real cease fire . Sue Isreal for the rebuilding of Palestine minus Hamas
The modlog is public I believe
There are two types of people who use the term neo liberal, people spreading Russian propaganda, and people who consume it
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The term for the predominant political and economic theory implemented by American and European powers since the 1980s is just Russian propaganda now?
What the hell else is supposed to be used instead?
I have another comment saying the same exact thing as above, but I took the time to respond more eloquently, and it has the complete opposite reaction.
Clearly my message wasn’t communicated will in the comment, but holy moly it’s frustrating how they constantly jump to “you’re a Russian bot” for legitimate criticism of their own side.
My dudes, both parties want you poor and working until you’re dead while they hoard all the wealth for their children.
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She’s not a neo liberal… Maybe she’ll become a liberal at worst
I believe she’s a good person, I believe she’s a true blue progressive…I just think she has terrible political instincts. It seems like she’s making backroom deals that don’t benefit her positions or even herself
I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed. And I don’t think Bernie has been a good influence
We need fighters, and it’s been too long since she actually fought. I still think she’ll be part of the solution, but she’s not panning out into what I hoped she’d be
I believe she’s a good person, I believe she’s a true blue progressive
Everything you typed after this implies the opposite. It’s painful to accept that someone you admired might no longer be who you thought they were. But the sooner you let go of that attachment, the clearer things become. She is not your friend. You do not join the Democratic Party to fight it from within. You join it to become part of its machinery.
Look at her record and measure it against her rhetoric. She voted to fund the Iron Dome in 2021 and then cried on the House floor. That was not courage. That was shame. She has now voted against cutting funding to Israel’s military while bombs are falling on Gaza. She condemns genocide and then votes to fund it. That is not strategy. That is betrayal.
She avoids confrontation with her party even when that party is enabling mass death. She speaks of justice, then backs imperial budgets. She delays, reframes, and pacifies while Palestinians are being erased. Her presence is soothing for liberals and neutralizing for movements. She functions as a release valve. She gives you a reason to believe in a system that should be dismantled.
You said she might be making backroom deals that do not benefit her or her ideals. That is what co-optation looks like. It does not require corruption. It only requires surrender. It happens when staying in the room becomes more important than changing what the room represents.
It is not that she is inactive. It is that she actively helps preserve a violent status quo. That makes her dangerous in a different way. Not because she is cruel, but because she is trusted.
Being disappointed is honest. But if you continue to hold onto the belief that she is still part of the solution, you will miss what she has already become. She is no longer a fighter. She is now a barrier.
She’s not a barrier, she’s still signal boosting progressives all over. She’s just not the fighter we need, but she’s not truly compromised… At least not yet
We can’t just totally disavow people at the first mistake. She’s still on our team, even if she’s getting valid criticism and responding terribly.
I honestly wonder why she came out crying, and since then has actually been consistent on the iron dome. What did Pelosi say? What did she show her? My guess is she showed her dead Israeli children from before the iron dome. Her position is coherent, it’s just naive
And I think Bernie is the main reason she hasn’t been vocal in her criticism for Democrats. AOC has been open in that she doesn’t know what she’s doing but is trying her best…I believe she’s still is. Now she’s just getting bad/dated guidance and turning into another Bernie
And Bernie has been consistent and good his entire career… I’m confident she’ll be the same
That being said, I thought people were mostly being sexist when they said she was too young to be president… But now I just think she doesn’t have the sauce
She’s still on our side, she just can’t be the leader. And that’s disappointing
How many chances does she get? This is the second time she makes the same mistake, are you gonna still count it as one mistake the third time?
Yep.
It’s one issue, and she’s not out there declaring fealty to Israel, it’s specifically the iron dome. It’s a bad take, but I think it’s an honest one. I think she doesn’t have the stomach to do the math with civilian lives, she’s just trying to save everyone, which is understandable but naive
I feel for the Palestinians, but they’re already building camps and disappearing people in our country. The only way to actually stop this is to twist Bibi’s nuts until he allows the world to come in and enforce an end to this.
And we’re never going to do that without progressives in power anyways, so we can’t declare her lost over a less than perfect take on one issue. And she is with us on putting a stop to this
Hell, for all I know Pelosi showed her IDF plans to glass the entire strip instantly if the dome ever goes down
My real problem is how she handled the criticism. That part was weak and whiny, someone with the sauce would have owned it. She could have said “look, I hear you, but this is a hard choice and I can only do what I think is right”. She could have just taken it on the chin and waited for it to go away.
Instead she tried to weasel out of it, and that’s what losers do. And we’re all going to die if we don’t start winning, so I still want her high up in Democratic leadership. I definitely want her on the team
I just think she isn’t the hero we all rally behind, and unfortunately Mumdani can’t be president
I think too many people get caught up on having the perfect candidate and can’t see the other good things a candidate can do. She’s still leagues better than a majority of democrats
Cutting off defense seems like a dumb move and I agree with AOC on this. We should cease all offensive weaponry sales as that’s clearly being used in a god damn genocide.
Why are we responsible for Israel’s defense? they have free health care and education but our checkbook is open for iron dome missiles for them ? No. Thats American taxpayer money, not theirs. If they are rich enough to bribe the entire American government, then they are rich enough to buy their own missiles.
I bet that the US gets a lot of intel about the other countries in the region in return.
Thats speculative, and even if true, its not worth the cost, or the problems allying with israel creates. Israel is not useful to the US and never have been. Its all cost.
Yes, it is speculative. That is what it means when a sentence starts with “I bet”.
More than that, Isreal is basically a forward opperating base of the US in the middle east. They’re just the US with Groucho Marx glasses on, our sock puppet for genocide and imperialism.
Thats just not true at all.
If true, then why doesnt Israel allow any actual operational bases inside Israel? There are no US warplanes flying out of Israel, and there never have been. They fly out of Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan-- which is actually a forward operating base that you pretend Israel is, and hosts British planes too. It was a big celebration when a navy ship was allowed to dock and resupply in israel in 2018, after no US warship had been allowed to dock in Israel in the previous 20 years.
The US has a shared radar site in the negev that has 10 people staffing it, that they are just now talking about building a barracks for, and also what they call a “base within a base” AKA a desk inside a Israeli military base. Not operational. Israel is not a FOB for the US, nor is it a “giant aircraft carrier” for the US.
Cutting defense means they would have to shift the budget to defense.
Moreover you’re helping the aggressor protect itself against finding out the consequences of their own action.
Fuck that noise.
Okay, but on the other hand, if they stopped providing defence aid to israel, they could then say that they stopped financing them and did enough, so they don’t have to stop offence funding for their genocide
Moreover you’re helping the aggressor protect itself against finding out the consequences of their own action.
You literally sound like the pro-genocide people with that statement.
Would you find supplying Nazi Germany defensive weapons during the Holocaust to be acceptable?
Of course not, because those defensive weapons are still used to embolden their genocidal actions
Of course not. And I don’t support funding Israel while they’re committing genocide either.
My problem was with their rhetoric. It’s literally the justification people use to support genocide. My only point was be careful how far you go with that.
You understand that the Iron Dome is why Israel felt it had the impunity to strike Iran and continued to act belligerent in the region right?
Furthermore withholding all Munitions to a state facilitating genocide is the bare minimum. Regardless of the intended purpose any Munition can be turned offensive.
Finally even if Israel didn’t have the resupply for the Iron Dome and had to supply their own budget it would not guarantee a genocide against the Israeli people. Saying anything of the such is stupid and undermines the control of the United States has in that area with its massive aircraft carriers that carry the power of a small state with them.
I don’t know why you’re directing all that at me. I just said they sounded the exact same as the pro-genocide arguments I’ve heard.
Explain how the statement is pro genocide?
Literally giving aid to Palestinians or threatening to stop funding Israel is seen as helping the aggressor protect itself from the consequences of their actions. Pretty straightforward. A lot of people see all the genocide as 100% justified.
Hamas did some really brutal shit. That doesn’t justify murdering people.
Only person here making pro-genocide arguments here is you.
Fucking both-siding genocidal fuck.
You’re not clever and it is clear what you are doing.
Edit: to be absolutely clear: you are pro-genocide and you’re trying to justify it by sounding anti-genocide. But you, personally, are bad at rheoteric, and it would be clear to a child what you are doing.
Israel should be their own nation. No money for anything to a country committing genocide.
How does restricting Israel’s defense assets from the United States, which they are perfectly capable of manufacturing on their own, result in murdering people? Is the United States immediately going to strike Israel with missiles?
The only people claiming that giving Aid to Palestinians is funding terrorists are Israel in the United States everybody else pretty universally agrees they giving Aid the Palestinians is not funding “terrorist” groups. This is an especially stupid example given the fact that Bibi has admitted to funding Isis groups to disrupt Hamas activities as recently as last month.
a lot of people all see the genocide as 100% Justified.
Yeah so did the Germans in World War II. That’s a wonderful argument you’re making. 🤦
So I’m going to predict you’re not going to give me a straight answer because you and I both know what the answer actually is. But let’s try this again so that you can at least try to prove that you’re not just a fool who came in here without any fact to back up your opinion.
How does removing $500 million of United States tax dollars from the Israeli defense assets endorse genocide, and as a follow-up, justify murder?
Why should anyone care what a war criminal supporting person like yourself insinuates? You lost all right to have your opinion listened to when you supported that stuff. Zionists have committed war crimes and should be banned en masse from lemmy. You are no better than a nazi yourself.
I absolutely don’t support it. What the IDF has done is horrific.
I’ve seen people justifying Hamas butchering people though, which is worrying.
Do you condemn Nat Turner?
Do you condemn the Warsaw Uprising?
I notice you don’t answer those questions because it might make you think uncomfortable thoughts.
Come on, if you’re so moral have the courage of your convictions. Either explain how those were different or condemn them. If not, you’re just a jackass with no moral code other than “this feels icky”
Funding is funding.
Cut it all off.
The real reason:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/17/pro-israel-money-progressives-congress-challenges
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/03/aipac-israel-spending-democratic-primaries-00144552
https://www.commondreams.org/news/aipac-100-million
https://abcnews.go.com/538/pro-israel-groups-spent-big-oust-squad-members/story?id=113675889
According to her, she voted no to this bill. I’m very confused by this article.
She voted against an amendment that would block funds for Israel’s Iron Dome “defensive” missile system, while Tlaib, Omar, Summer Lee and Al Green of Texas voted for it, along with 2 Republicans.
She didn’t vote yes to the amendment to the bill to remove defensive funding. She voted no to the whole bill the amendment applied to IIRC.
Ahh, gotcha, so this is just a shit stirring article that tries to send a very misleading message
Yuuup
Gotcha. That makes more sense and I wish articles about this kind of thing made it clearer.
It was an amendment to remove funding for the iron dome. She voted against the amendment.
Big swing and a miss for AOC there.
You just posted evidence that you respond to clickbait headlines without knowing what the article says or is even about. Hallmark of a conservative voter
AOC doesn’t miss. You’re not listening to her or paying attention to the details/fine print. You can fuckin bet she is
She handled this terribly. She has a coherent position, not a great one but one I could accept, but the crash out has been disheartening
Why is this a miss?
AOC’s defense of her vote is a swing and a miss because it rests on a false distinction. She claims the amendment only cuts funding for the Iron Dome (a “defensive” system) and not for the bombs killing Palestinians, but that’s misleading.
The Iron Dome isn’t neutral; it enables Israel to continue bombing Gaza with impunity by shielding it from retaliation. It’s part of the war apparatus, not separate from it.
By opposing this amendment, AOC helped maintain the full structure of US military aid that underwrites the genocide she says she opposes. Her rationale sounds nuanced, but in practice, it protects the status quo.
And while she says she’s focused on cutting offensive munitions, the reality is that the US is sending Israel billions in lethal aid right now, and this amendment was a chance to actually stop some of it. Voting against it doesn’t show strategy; it shows inconsistency and a failure to act when it counts. If you’re serious about ending genocide, like she keeps insisting she is, you take every shot you can. This was one, and she missed it.
The iron dome protects innocents. Thats why its important. Offensive capabilities need to be cut.
It protects the genocidal state of Israel from retaliation. If you want to protect innocents, fund an iron dome for Gaza instead of 2,000lbs bombs to drop on tents.
That’s generally true, but her handling is the real problem.
It’s not a great position, but the real problem is she’s crashing out over genuine criticism
Because knowing that a response to your aggression is harmless lets you get away with being aggressive. So funding their defense system allows Israel to attack countries in the region, killing people without any due process.
RTFA*
? I googled and checked urban dictionary but it didn’t help.
It’s a variation of the fairly well known “read the fucking manual” (RTFM) only in this case it’s referring to the article, not the manual. Also, there was a typo
Read Fucking The Article.
Ah, not much I can do if they flub the acronym then. Thanks for the clarification.
regardless of the position on “Israel” genocide, this is tax money going to a foreign country.
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Sucks. I still hope she ends up as prez or senate majority leader. She’s the best we got.
The people in the comments saying that the Iron Dome allows Israel to continue to pogrom Palestinians are hypocrites and nihilists. It is technically true. Israel without a defense system would be destroyed very quickly, becoming like Gaza and unable to do anything. But don’t mask this as if this would somehow bring peace in any way other than that after a complete nuclear holocaust, the earth would be peaceful. Just say you want Israel to be wiped off from the map.
Israel shouldn’t exist. It’s a country that literally stole land from Palestine.
