The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly voted Thursday to advance the “National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act” (H.R.8595) without a damaging amendment. To placate Republican holdouts, House leadership agreed to combine the appropriations bill with the SAVE America Act, but an amendment to block all military aid to Israel failed decisively.

House Republicans advanced the measure with only three votes to spare; the roll call vote was 217 to 209, with five members absent. Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) voted with Republicans for the bill, while Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) voted with Democrats against it.

Massie’s opposition came after the House overwhelmingly voted down his amendment to block all U.S. military aid to Israel. The amendment failed to pass 104-314. Not a single Republican joined Massie in supporting it.

The Massie amendment only succeeded in dividing Democrats, with 103 voting in favor, 98 voting against, and 10 voting present. In what amounted to an admission of their political predicament, Democrats had accused Republicans of weaponizing the amendment by simply allowing it to receive a vote.

The rabidly anti-Semitic segment of the Democratic base will be satisfied with nothing short of cutting off all American support for Israel, while many Americans still recognize and value our nation’s partnership with Israel. As a result, one Democrat complained, “Some people are voting yes, some voting no, some voting present. All of it is bad. Every option is bad.”

In the final vote, the Democratic caucus split nearly down the middle over the amendment, reflecting the party’s ideological split. The Progressive Caucus has 97 voting members in the House of Representatives, only six less than the number who voted for the amendment. With nearly half of the Democratic conference swearing allegiance to far-Left ideology, it is little surprise that more Democrats now oppose military aid to Israel than support it.

By contrast, on the Republican side, the House Freedom Caucus unofficially numbers 32 members. At 14% of the Republican conference, the House Freedom Caucus has some influence, especially when Republicans hold such a slim majority. But its progressive counterpart boasts 45% of the Democratic conference among its members, making it nearly impossible for congressional Democrats to unite around anything unless the progressives are on board.

This fact matters more if and when Democrats hold the House majority. For now, Republicans were able to pass the appropriations bill in a mostly party-line vote. The bill therefore reflects at least modest Republican priorities.

The appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2027 cuts spending for the State Department and related agencies by about $2.7 billion from the Fiscal Year 2026 enacted level, down to $47.3 billion, according to Roll Call, although that is still about $11.7 billion more than the Trump administration’s budget request. A $902 million cut to global health, humanitarian, and other economic assistance programs accounted for a third of the total cuts.

“Among its many achievements, this bill increases funding to counter narcotics and related law enforcement efforts, including to combat the trafficking of fentanyl, which has devastated every community in America,” listed Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.), chairman of the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Subcommittee, which drafted the bill. “It maintains support for friends and valuable partners who align themselves with U.S. interests. It also continues a resounding support for a democratic transition to freedom for the people of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. All this while countering anti-American adversaries and ensuring full accountability and transparency of international organizations that have lost sight of their mission.”

Other notable votes before the bill’s final passage included a vote on another Massie amendment to cut military aid to Jordan, which failed 6-421. (Apparently, most Democrats do recognize the importance of arming U.S. allies in the Middle East, but they would rather support an Islamic dictatorship than a Western democracy named Israel.) An amendment offered by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) to defund the United Nations failed 136-291.

One amendment the House did approve was offered by Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) and would withhold all funding for Nigeria until the State Department says the country is “taking effective steps to prevent and respond to violence and hold perpetrators accountable.” The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.

With the passing of the State appropriations bill, the House of Representatives has now approved three of the 12 appropriations bills that must be passed before the end of September to avoid another government shutdown. The other appropriations bills passed thus far deal primarily with veterans affairs and agriculture.

This bill advances after immigration hardliners halted activity on the House floor for a month until House leadership agreed to attach it to the SAVE America Act. However, the Senate lacks the votes to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require photo ID and proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections. At least for now, the Senate is expected to strip out the SAVE America Act before approving the bill.