US funding for Israel's Iron Dome faces pushback from left-leaning politicians ahead of midterm elections

In the latest sign that support for Israel is becoming a hot-button issue in U.S. politics, J Street, the progressive Israel advocacy organization, has backed several left-leaning lawmakers calling for an end to American funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile-defense system. 

On Sunday, J Street president Jeremy Ben-Ami wrote a blog endorsing the end of U.S support for Israel’s defense industry, as represented in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by President Barack Obama in 2016 that grants funds to Israel for defense purposes.

Ben-Ami joined a chorus of voices from the left that are calling for an end to funding not just for Israeli arms in general, but even for explicitly defensive systems that save thousands of lives.

As support for Israel has declined on the left, and especially as the issue is seen by many Democrats as a means of opposing President Donald Trump during the upcoming mid-term elections, J Street has begun to shift its policy positions, calling for support for the MOU to be phased out after its expiration in 2028. 

This moment demands a reset. J Street is calling for the U.S. to end unconditional financial military subsidies to Israel and to move towards a relationship where we treat Israel like any other ally.

J Street supports:
– Phasing out taxpayer-funded military aid by 2028, when the…

— J Street (@jstreetdotorg) April 13, 2026

“In April of 2026, J Street joined a growing chorus of figures in Israel and the US – including Prime Minister Netanyahu – calling for American financial subsidies to Israel’s military to be phased out,” the organization wrote on its frequently asked questions (FAQ) section of its website. “Commitments through fiscal year 2028 that the US made under President Obama and that J Street supports should be fulfilled. After that, financial subsidies to Israel should be rapidly and responsibly phased out.” 

“Ending those financial subsidies does not mean the United States should cease selling weapons to Israel or continuing military-to-military cooperation as long as those activities are conducted in compliance with U.S. laws,” it added. 

But only a little bit further down that same page, J Street says that it “strongly supports US security assistance to Israel for Iron Dome and other missile defense systems,” calling it “a critically important defense system that consistently saves the lives of Israelis facing indiscriminate rocket attacks.” 

It even notes that support for the Iron Dome is part of its endorsement criteria for political candidates. 

However, that support now appears to be shifting. In his blog, Ben-Ami wrote that “The United States should continue to supply what Israel needs for the defense of its people from Iranian, Hezbollah, Hamas and Houthi missiles – but the time is coming for Israel to pay for what it needs, as other prosperous countries do.” 

J Street also noted that even Israeli leaders have called for the Jewish State to be less dependent on U.S. aid.

As prominent far-left lawmakers like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY); Ro Khanna (D-CA); and new candidates like Brad Lander, a Jewish Democrat running for the seat of Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), have called for ending U.S. financial assistance to the Jewish State, J Street appears to be positioning itself in a position compatible with these politicians. 

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which supports candidates across the political spectrum, sharply criticized J Street’s shift. 

“Pro-Israel Americans want the US to deepen our ties with Israel, partnering with our democratic ally to confront shared threats & seize shared opportunities for peace,” it posted to 𝕏 in a response to J Street’s announcement. “J Street wants the opposite, arguing to undermine an alliance that advances U.S. interests & helps keep Israel safe.” 

Ocasio-Cortez expressed a critical view of Israel in explaining her decision to vote against defense aid to Israel. 

"The Israeli government is well able to fund the Iron Dome system, which has proven critical to keep innocent civilians safe from rocket attacks and bombardment,” she wrote to 𝕏. “Consistent with my voting record to date, I will not support Congress sending more taxpayer dollars and military aid to a government that consistently ignores international law and U.S. law.” 

Noting that the Knesset recently passed its largest defense budget, Ocasio-Cortez said, “Our allies who need our military aid must understand that we will provide it consistent with the Leahy amendment and the foreign assistance act.” 

Notably, in 2021, Ocasio-Cortez drew attention for crying on the floor of the House after she switched her vote from "no" to "present" for a bill providing $1 billion in new funding for the Iron Dome.

Lander, who in an interview with the The New York Editorial Board, echoed Ocasio-Cortez's comments: “I think we need to follow the Leahy Law and condition all of our foreign policy aid on human rights and international law compliance.” 

“At the moment, Israel is very far from complying with human rights and international law,” he added. 

His opponent, Dan Goldman, supports continued U.S. funding for Iron Dome purchases by Israel. 

Lander himself supported Iron Dome funding during his 2025 mayoral campaign against Zohran Mamdani. 

California representative Ro Khanna accused Israel of “egregious violations of human rights law,” saying the U.S. should “not be subsidizing them.” 

Another far-left candidate, Michael Blake, who is running against New York representative Ritchie Torres, also said he would vote against U.S. missile defense aid for Israel. 

Blake, who previously championed the U.S.-Israel alliance, has been moving further left throughout his campaign. In a debate with Torres last week, he said, “We need a permanent ceasefire, full stop. We need to absolutely stop the aid that is happening. We need to stop sending money.” 

Torres, meanwhile, maintained his support for Iron Dome aid during the debate, saying, “There is a rapidly growing chorus of candidates calling for the defunding of missile defense systems like Iron Dome—at a time when millions of Israeli civilians are facing a constant barrage of rockets, drones, and ballistic missiles.” 

“I will never join that bandwagon—no matter how politically expedient it may become,” he added. 

The leftward push against Israel has even affected more moderate Democrats, like Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), who said last Sunday that he would begin to oppose U.S. financial aid for any offensive weapons for Israel, but will continue to support aid for defensive systems, such as the Iron Dome.