MTG nodded to her infamous 'Jewish space laser' theory in an amendment meant to mess up sending aid to Israel

• Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene revisited tricky territory in an amendment to an Israel funding bill.
• Greene's amendment would divert cash from Israel to developing space lasers for the US border.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene made clear her opposition to sending extra money to Israel in a weirdly self-referential way.

The Georgia Republican filed an amendment to a $26.38 billion Israel aid bill that would divert some of that funding toward "the development of space laser technology on the southwest border" of the United States.

It was a not-so-subtle reference to a lowlight of her political past, when she suggested in a 2018 Facebook post that a Jewish-financed laser beam ignited one of the worst wildfires in California's history.

"I've previously voted to fund space lasers for Israel's defense," said Greene. "America needs to take our national security seriously and deserves the same type of defense for our border that Israel has and proudly uses."

The bill includes $1.2 billion for Israel's experimental Iron Beam system.

Greene's old conspiratorial social media rants were uncovered by outlets like CNN and Media Matters after she first took office in 2021.

In the case of the "Jewish space lasers," she connected the wildfire to the Rothschild family of Jewish financiers, a favorite target of antisemitic conspiracy theories.

The "Jewish space laser" theory has become a staple piece of mockery for those attacking Greene, and is often brought up by reporters.

A video from early March shows Greene being less than thrilled to talk about the theory, telling British reporter Emily Maitlis to "fuck off" after she asked about it.

It might seem strange, then, for Greene to voluntarily go back to space-laser territory, given that it's often earned her mockery. But it's also in keeping with her MAGA Republican style, embracing the most eye-catching possible methods to signal her positions — in this case, her die-hard opposition to sending aid to other countries.

The suggestion isn't realistic and isn't meant to be — it was among a raft of amendments offered by Greene and allies like Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona to make it harder to pass the bills.

Greene's office has not yet responded to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours.

The House is set to vote this weekend on a package of bills to send aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan — but in contrast to a $95.3 billion bill passed by the Senate two months ago, House members will take individual votes on each component.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday said that he supports the measures, and urged the House and Senate to quickly pass them so he could sign them into law.

Greene has voted against Israel aid in the past, and she's long been one of the most outspoken opponents of Ukraine aid. She also introduced seven amendments to the Ukraine aid bill, including provisions that would divert money to US disaster zones or force any members of Congress who support the bill to enlist in the Ukrainian military.