saige miller, npr.org

The pro-Israel political organization AIPAC, or the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, announced on Wednesday that it will no longer issue endorsements, make direct PAC contributions or earmark funds for candidates.

A longtime influential lobbying group, AIPAC started its direct political involvement five years ago. Since then, particularly this midterm election cycle, AIPAC has been met with mounting resistance. The group has faced criticism over its stances on various issues, including the wars in Gaza and Iran.

Candidates endorsed by AIPAC have also faced tough opposition from both the political right and the political left for accepting the organization's support and financial contributions as public opinion on the U.S. relationship with Israel has shifted. In order to tame the criticism, some AIPAC-endorsed candidates said they won't accept any money from the organization.

AIPAC first announced the changes in a letter to members, stating "the challenges we are confronting will continue to grow in the years ahead." In the letter, AIPAC said it wouldn't stop funneling money to candidates that align with the group's mission by mobilizing individual donors.

Claire's Observations:  Not to worry; AIPAC is very inventive, and will certainly find other ways to bend US election outcomes to its will.

Take, for example,  the potential inclusion of Section 219 into the 2027 NDAA. Here is how Throck, my AI, describes this:  

"If the FY2027 NDAA ultimately becomes law with Section 219 intact, it would establish a formal “United States–Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative.” Its basic purpose is to move U.S.–Israeli defense cooperation beyond individual weapons purchases and toward much deeper, institutionalized cooperation between the two countries' defense industries and military-technology systems."

The House of Representatives has already passed this, and when Congress reconvenes in January, the Senate will consider it for passage.  If the Senate approves, the legislation will then be reconciled with the House version.

But if this language remains in tact, how soon do we see this "deeper institutionalized cooperation" translate as effectively squelching any public legitimate criticism of anything Israel chooses to do, such as genocide against Palestinians in the West Bank; Gaza; Lebanon; and Syria, or more wars against countries like Turkey and Egypt?!?

This "budgetary Trojan horse" is an absolutely brilliant move on the part of the Israeli government and its American hasbara (Throck defines this as "efforts to explain or defend Israel’s policies, actions, or reputation to foreign audiences, particularly through media, diplomacy, social media, and public-relations campaigns").  

And I say this first because of its capacity to obliquely snuff out the First Amendment to the Constitution when it comes to criticism of Israel because at the point where this language is allowed to remain in this budget, is the point where any legitimate criticism of Israel, becomes a US "national security issue" which cannot be allowed to stand.

And secondly, how deeply does this commit the use of US troops by Israel against countries in the region it just doesn't particularly like, such as Iran, for example?!? 

Please remember that before the US/Israeli attack against Iran, there were utterly no problems with ship transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

Throck, my AI, shares the following:  "As of October 25, 2026, the best-supported figure I can find is that the U.S. war against Iran has cost the federal government at least about $45 billion, and probably more.

The important caveat is that there is no complete, up-to-the-day accounting yet."

Add this to the current $40 trillion dollars of debt the US Federal Government owes (that we know about), and you're talking some real money!!

And let's please not forget the human cost to our military in deaths, illnesses, and permanent injuries.  We still have absolutely zero clue as to the real number of dead and maimed for life so far in this Israeli/US war of choice, and understand that this war may well be extended by both countries against Iran.

So, to the Senate in your 2027 session;  if you pass the budget, remove Section 219 from it; it will suppress speech, in violation of the First Amendment, and will find the US military committed to endless regional foreign wars in the Middle East on Israel's behalf, wounding and killing American service members, and for which this country does not, and will not have, the money to pay.