Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene escalated her war against America’s closest Middle East ally this week, telling Megyn Kelly that Israel wields “incredible influence and control over nearly every single one of my colleagues” in Congress.
The Georgia Republican’s latest broadside against the U.S.-Israel relationship came during Tuesday night’s podcast, where she railed against American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s educational trips for freshman lawmakers and questioned why America sends $3.8 billion annually to Israel while carrying $37 trillion in debt.
“Israel is the only country I know of that has some sort of incredible influence and control over nearly every single one of my colleagues,” Greene said. “I don’t know how to explain it.”
Greene specifically targeted AIPAC’s educational programs, claiming the organization strategically courts new lawmakers and influencers with trips to Israel.
“AIPAC takes every single — that they can — freshman member of Congress, their first year in Congress they take them on a very special trip to Israel,” she told Kelly. “I didn’t go, so I don’t know what they do there. But they take them on tours.”
She further accused AIPAC of using these trips to secure continued support for the $3.8 billion in annual military aid, comparing Israel’s debt load to America’s fiscal challenges.
“We’re $37 trillion in debt; Israel is less than $400 billion in debt,” Greene continued. “If you’re an Israeli citizen, you have government-funded health care and you have government-funded college. So, why is America having to give Israel $3.8 billion?”
Her comments put her squarely in the camp of “Squad” Democrats like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib, who have long criticized AIPAC’s role in Washington. Greene has even adopted their language, openly calling Israel’s Gaza operations “genocide.”
Greene’s anti-Israel stance isn’t new, but her willingness to attack AIPAC directly marks a disturbing escalation. She voted against all three Israel aid packages following Hamas’s October 7 massacre, including emergency funding for much-needed Iron Dome missile defense systems.
Her position puts her increasingly isolated within the Republican caucus, where support for Israel remains overwhelming. House Speaker Mike Johnson has consistently championed military aid to Israel as essential to American national security interests, and the party passed $8.7 billion in Israel aid earlier this year with broad GOP support.
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