Lobbyists

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In: Israel, Lobbyists, Pete Hegseth, Politics, POTUS, Warfare

As the richest men in the US (all multi-billionaires) buy up media and technology companies at a dizzying pace, it’s logical to assume America is a wealthy nation. In reality, the US is broke, tasked with funding an escalating, costly war that lacks an exit strategy while simultaneously funding massive tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest 5 percent of U.S. citizens.

According to the Institution on Taxation and Economic Policy, a combination of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), termination of the Enhanced Premium Tax Credit and tariffs have resulted in increased taxes for all but the top wealthiest five percent of Americans. OBBBA alone is expected to provide $1 trillion in tax cuts for the richest one percent of Americans over the next decade, while cutting Medicaid by almost as much during the same time period.

The US is spending an estimated half a billion dollars each day to fight Israel’s holy war against Iran. And the Pentagon is now asking Congress to approve potentially $200 billion more. The funds would reportedly be used to increase production of munitions that the U.S. and Israel have used to strike thousands of targets since the conflict began.

“It takes money to kill bad guys,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said at a press briefing today about the request. “Today, will be the largest strike package yet, just like yesterday was. Our capabilities continue to build, Iran’s continue to degrade. We’re hunting and striking. Death and destruction from above.”

A chief economist warned this week that a U.S. recession is a “serious threat,” while gas prices have risen by close to $1 a gallon since the war began. Hegseth’s request will now force the U.S. Congress to decide whether they should continue to represent the interests of their Israeli donors or their constituents.

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Bernie Sanders’ 2020 national campaign director Analilia Mejia beat AIPAC-backed candidate Tom Malinowski in NJ’s recent special election

As mid-term season ramps up, important primary races are underway in Texas and Illinois. The midterm elections will potentially reshape the U.S. Congress, making it critical to understand how important the outcomes are for Israel and its powerful slate of U.S. lobbying groups.

“We expect to be involved in dozens of races both in primaries and general elections this cycle,” said Patrick Dorton, a spokesman for AIPAC’s affiliated super PAC, the United Democracy Project (UDP).

According to Track AIPAC, there are currently only 21 members of U.S. Congress who have never accepted money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC, the largest pro-Israel PAC in the US) or other pro-Israel lobby groups. The remaining 514 sitting members have all accepted varying amounts of fundraising money from pro-Israel lobbyists.

With the Illinois primary just two days away, AIPAC has spent more than $1.9 million on ads to replace retiring Rep. Danny Davis with Melissa Conyears-Ervin, the city treasurer of Chicago. She faces over a dozen other candidates in the upcoming primary. And IL Sen. Dick Durbin is retiring after more than 30 years in office, with three top Democratic candidates vying for his seat.

Durbin received more than $2.7 million in pro-Israel donations over his decades in office. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who accepted more than $1.7 million in pro-Israel donations, is vying for his seat along with Rep. Robin Kelly, the recipient of just over $368,000 from Israeli lobbies and Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton, who has received just over $248,000.

U.S. Democratic Reps. Jan Schakowsky and Jesus “Chuy” Garcia are also retiring. Schakowsky has received more than $2.5 billion from Israeli lobbyists while Garcia hasn’t received any and rejects AIPAC. Dozens of Democrats are vying for those seats, with AIPAC playing an increasingly bigger role in candidates’ platforms.

Schakowsky, once a staunch supporter of Israel, has increasingly become critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the war in Gaza and recently withdrew her support of Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller to succeed her. Miller has pulled in more than $3.3 million in AIPAC-related donations. “Illinois deserves leaders who put voters first, not AIPAC or out-of-state Trump donors,” said Schakowsky. She endorsed Evanston Mayor Daniel Bliss instead, who has received just over $288,000 in pro-Israel funding.

The Texas Senate primaries have yielded tight races for Democrats and Republicans alike, with AIPAC once again playing a key role. James Talarico, who received just over $23,000 from pro-Israel interests, will face an as yet to be determined Republican challenger. Incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, who has accepted more than $2 million from AIPAC and other Israeli interests, is being challenged by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who received just over $53,000 from Israeli lobbyists.

The Republican primary was so close that the two candidates will face a runoff on May 26. Paxton’s success puts President Donald Trump in a sticky position. Trump himself has received more than $230 million from Israeli groups and it was expected he would endorse Israel’s candidate, Cornyn. But Paxton has gained traction within the MAGA movement, and Trump risks alienating his voters by endorsing Cornyn. Talarico’s popularity has been rising with some predicting he may turn one of Texas’s Senate seats blue for the first time in 33 years.

AIPAC and its offshoots began to ramp up spending during the 2022 midterms, shelling out more than $221 million between December of 2021 and January of 2026.

Their strategy has not always paid off though, as was the case in the recent Democratic primary special election in New Jersey. Israeli lobbyists spent more than $378,000 pushing former Rep. Tom Malinowski for a House seat. He was defeated by progressive candidate Analilia Mejia, who has been openly critical of Israel.

To learn if your U.S. representatives better reflect your interests or Israel’s, check Track AIPAC.

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Henry Cuellar (D-Tx.) meets with AIPAC members last Wednesday to discuss Middle East challenges

Members of Congress have begun speaking about the Trump Administration’s arguably unconstitutional, illegal war on Iran. Unsurprisingly, most Republicans support the operation. A number of Democrats are adding support as well, praising the death of the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the opportunity to banish authoritarianism in favor of democracy.

“President Trump has been willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region,” tweeted John Fetterman (D-Pa.), a staunch supporter of Israel. Fetterman said he was a “hard no” on a war powers vote and posted an image of the Ayatollah, adding “Let’s see who grieves for that garbage.”

Tom Suozzi (D-Ny.) tweeted, “I agree with the President’s objectives that Iran can never be allowed to obtain nuclear capabilities.” Henry Cuellar (D-Tx.) said the threat posed by Iran was “real and longstanding.”

Why is the Legislative branch of government so laissez faire about an unnecessary, unplanned and reckless war that will cost many U.S. lives? It’s no secret that the US has a longstanding, intimate relationship with Israel. It’s why the government has supported Israel’s warfare in Gaza, activity that the United Nations has characterized as genocide. It’s why thousands of people protesting the war in Gaza have been arrested during both the Biden and Trump presidencies.

The strongest link between the Legislative branch and Israel is AIPAC, the largest pro-Israel PAC in the U.S. In 2025, AIPAC received more than $31 million in donations from its six million wealthy, powerful members. The group spent more than $28 million on contributions during that time period.

According to Track AIPAC, only 17 sitting members of Congress have never accepted AIPAC or other donations from pro-Israel lobby groups. To put that into context, there are currently 432 sitting House members (three seats are vacant) and 100 Senators.

Cuellar is among the biggest recipients, accepting more than $3.2 million from AIPAC and other pro-Israel groups. Fetterman has received more than $1.8 million from pro-Israel groups, while Suozzi has accepted more than $1.9 million from AIPAC and other pro-Israel groups.

The top three AIPAC recipients in Congress are all Democrats. George Latimer (D-Ny.) has brought in more than $19 million while Wesley Bell (D-Mo.) received more than $12 million. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) accepted more than $7 million.

Israel wants a war on Iran and has been waiting many years for this opportunity. They have invested heavily in the U.S. Congress for decades to ensure nothing stands in their way.

To quote Jeffrey Epstein in a 2013 email to Ehud Barak, former prime minister of Israel, “hopefully somone suggests getting authorization now for Iran. the congress would do it.”

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