- The House passed a resolution in support of Israel in the wake of the Hamas attack.
- It was the chamber's first action since electing a new speaker, Rep. Mike Johnson.
The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a resolution in support of Israel by an overwhelmingly 412-10-6 margin following the October 7 attack by Hamas.
Over a dozen progressive Democrats — and one Republican — voted "nay" or "present."
It was the first legislative action that the House took after electing Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana as the next speaker of the House, ending the lower chamber's 3 weeks of deadlock.
The bipartisan resolution, drafted by Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas and Democratic Rep. Greg Meeks of New York, is a largely symbolic gesture.
The resolution states that the House "stands with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists" and "reaffirms the United States' commitment to Israel's security."
But to progressives' dismay, the resolution makes relatively little mention of civilian casualties in the Gaza strip, which have steadily mounted as Israel has carried out aerial bombings since the Hamas attack.
"Whereas since October 7, 2023, Hamas is directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians," the statement reads.
Local authorities have said that the civilian death toll exceeds 5,000, though those figures have been questioned due to the fact that Gaza is governed by Hamas.
J Street, liberal pro-Israel group, also reportedly threatened to rescind their endorsement of any Democrat who did not support the resolution.
"Members of Congress should be ashamed of themselves for voting for a resolution that mourns only Israel lives, but not Palestinian lives," said Waleed Shahid, the former spokesperson for the progressive group "Justice Democrats," in a statement.
Some progressives have been pushing for a ceasefire since the Israeli counter-offensives began, and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont accused the country of committing war crimes.
Furthermore, several progressives have described Israel as an "apartheid state," a description also employed by several international human rights organizations.
Meanwhile, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky voted against the resolution because he disagrees with the resolution's call for sanctions and re-affirming the importance of foreign aid.
Here are the 10 lawmakers who voted against the resolution:
- Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York
- Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri
- Rep. Andre Carson of Indiana
- Rep. Al Green of Texas
- Rep. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania
- Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York
- Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota
- Rep. Delia Ramirez of Illinois
- Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan
And here are the 6 lawmakers who voted "present:"
- Rep. Greg Casar of Texas
- Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas
- Rep. Chuy Garcia of Illinois
- Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington
- Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts
- Rep. Nydia Velázquez of New York