THOMPSON RELEASES STATEMENT ON MASSIE AMENDMENT

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) released the following statement after voting "Present" on far-right extremist Rep. Thomas Massie's amendment to the National Security, Department of State and Related Programs Appropriations Act. Massie's amendment would have cut foreign aid to Israel, including humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians and funding for refugee resettlement, peace-building, and U.S. Embassy operations.

"I stand firmly against sending offensive weapons to Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu has caused a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and I continue to call for the protection of Palestinian civilians, a surge of humanitarian aid in Gaza, and a two-state solution to bring peace and self-determination to Israelis and Palestinians," said Thompson.

"I cannot support this amendment because it is so poorly drafted and overly broad that it would defund our efforts to protect civilians and promote peace, taking us farther from our goals. At the same time, I stand firmly against Netanyahu's conduct in Gaza and his efforts to drag us into conflict with Iran.

"I voted 'present' in protest of Netanyahu and in solidarity with our peacekeeping efforts. This amendment was proposed by an extremist as an unserious solution to an incredibly serious issue and I refuse to play cheap political games when it comes to matters of global conflict," he concluded.