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.
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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Big swing and a miss for AOC there.
AOC doesn’t miss. You’re not listening to her or paying attention to the details/fine print. You can fuckin bet she is
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
According to her, she voted no to this bill. I’m very confused by this article.
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.
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.
It was an amendment to remove funding for the iron dome. She voted against the amendment.
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
regardless of the position on “Israel” genocide, this is tax money going to a foreign country.
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So, we have MTG voting to not fund and AOC to fund? What’s going on? Is the earth now spinning in reverse or something?
No, RTFA
Did you actually read the article? If you did, did you catch the word salad in her X‑post? She’s basically trusting that when we say “this money is for your defense system, the Iron Dome” Israel will actually use it just for the Iron Dome, and only the Iron Dome.
Also, does this make sense to you at all? Like do you agree with this?“Along with other US-funded interceptor systems, the Iron Dome has emboldened Israel to invade or bomb no less than five different countries in the past two years.”
Israel isn’t such an honest country that they’ll use the money we send them according to our allocations. She fucked up big time and now she’s trying to defend her fuck up and is doing a terrible job.
Yes XYZB.
↑↑↓↓←→←→BA
Sucks. I still hope she ends up as prez or senate majority leader. She’s the best we got.
