With the rise of an anti-Israel sentiment among a younger generation of Americans, more and more people, including candidates for office, appear to be hedging on sending financial aid to Israel, even with the ongoing threat of extermination that U.S. ally continues to face.
Florida’s 19th Congressional District candidate Catalina Lauf (R) recently appeared in an interview with Matt Gaetz of One America News Network (OANN) where she highlighted that “Americans Should be Put First” and the priority should be making life more affordable for U.S. citizens, not sending money to Israel to fund its military.
When asked whether or not more money should be sent to Israel, Lauf did not say she wanted to defund Israel, but her answer to the question posed to her by Gaetz appears to have checked off that box.
"You know, right now I don't think. I think we should be focusing on what's going on back home here. I think ultimately we need to make sure that we are lowering the costs for Americans. Affordability is a huge issue, and I’m looking forward to joining Congress and seeing exactly where all of our money is going, where our hard-earned taxpayer money is going, what our interests are, and ultimately making sure that our Americans are taken care of first,” Lauf said.
She's currently running as a candidate for Florida’s 19th Congressional District, which is being represented by Rep. Byron Donalds (R), a historical supporter of Israel.
Republican voters have always appeared to have supported sending aid to Israel, and backed candidates and elected officials who have vowed that support unconditionally.
The Floridian asked Rep. Donalds his thoughts on the growing sentiment that the U.S. should defund Israel.
“Israel is our ally in the Middle East. They will remain our ally in the Middle East. That is non-negotiable," said Rep. Donalds, who is the current frontrunner in the 2026 Republican gubernatorial primary race.
He’s expressed his support for Israel’s self-defense, and his concern about the rise of anti-Semitism in the U.S.Â
“This level of antisemitism, this hatred against Jewish people and against Israel, it’s out of control. It’s insane,” Donalds said. “This rhetoric around hating Israel, hating the Jewish people, has to stop because there are real-world consequences. There are crazy people who will carry this out.”
President Donald Trump has made the case that he as arguably been, and will continue be the greatest friend to Israel, and has vowed to continue sending aid to the country.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the aid that the U.S. has sent Israel since 1946 has been predominantly militarily.
