Sen. Fetterman Says He’ll Leave Democratic Party If It ‘Officially’ Becomes Anti-Israel

The Pennsylvania Democrat said a House vote to end Israel aid was ‘a symbolic thing’ but that a change to the party’s platform would push him out.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) speaks with the media on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 3, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said he’d leave the Democratic Party if it officially adopts an anti-Israel position, his remarks coming the same week a majority of House Democrats voted for an amendment to end U.S. military aid to Israel.

“If they put that in our platform—no aid for Israel—and officially become the anti-Israel party, then yeah, that’s a red line for me,” Fetterman told NBC News on Thursday. “Democrats, we always should support Israel. That’s our special ally.”

The House vote itself would not prompt him to leave the party, he said, calling it “a symbolic thing” in a separate interview with CNN the same day.

“If they make it official in the platform of the party then that’s a much different situation,” Fetterman said. “But that vote just confirms what I’ve seen coming in the Democratic Party for a while. I’m always going to proudly stand with Israel. I think it’s fantastic to keep killing Hamas leadership—I think it’s fantastic. Same for Hezbollah.”

He described the House Democrats’s vote as “disappointing” but said it was something he had “fully expected,“ adding that he believes the trend will ”probably accelerate” after the midterm elections. He told both outlets that his frustration was old news.

“I’ve always expressed my dismay at the way the Democratic Party continues to turn their back on Israel,” Fetterman told CNN. “If the Democratic Party becomes officially anti-Israel, then that’s what would force me out.”

He referenced recent primary results as well.

“Look at the kinds of people that we’ve elected in the primaries,” he said. “Not just pro-Palestinian—just intensely, intensely anti-Israel.”

Fetterman has been outspoken in recent months against progressive and Democratic Socialist candidates who won Democratic primaries—for example, last month in New York City. He has described an “emerging ... full pro-Hamas wing” declaring “a war on just regular Democrats.”

The House on July 15 rejected, by a vote of 314–104, an amendment from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) that would have eliminated $3.3 billion in annual U.S. military aid to Israel from the fiscal 2027 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs appropriations bill.

A total of 103 Democrats joined Massie in supporting the amendment, while 98 Democrats voted against it and 10 voted present. Massie was the only Republican to vote in favor.

Before that vote, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) urged lawmakers to reject the amendment, calling it “overly broad” and saying it could restrict funding for humanitarian aid, refugee resettlement, peace-building efforts, and U.S. Embassy operations.

Asked about a recent poll of Pennsylvania voters, Fetterman pointed to what he described as the disconnect between his voting record and his standing in the two parties.

“It’s strange that a guy that votes a 90 percent Democratic line has 80 percent approval of Republicans,” he told CNN. “If I become more unpopular with Democrats, then I think it’s really a strong correlation with being a very proud Israel supporter.”

Asked whether he could win a Democratic primary in Pennsylvania in 2028, when he would be up for reelection, Fetterman said, “I guess we'll see.” He confirmed he has not decided whether he’ll run, or whether he’ll run as a Democrat.

“There’s a lot of time here,” he said.

Tom Gantert contributed to this report.