In a shameful flip-flop, Representative Adam Smith (D-WA), the ranking Democrat on the powerhouse House Armed Services Committee, surrendered to the radical Left on Wednesday, voting to freeze $3.3 billion in vital U.S. military assistance to Israel just days after promising he would oppose the measure.
At the end of June, Smith told Jewish Insider he planned to vote against the amendment, saying, “I’m against that. I don’t think it has support because it cuts off humanitarian aid, military aid — all aid for Israel. So I don’t think there’s support for it, but we’ll see.”
In Smith’s statement explaining why he flipped, he tacitly implied that a ruthless campaign of intimidation right at his doorstep might have played a part in his decision.
In a stunning statement posted to X, Smith hinted that a wave of aggressive far-left, anti-Israel agitators might have successfully bullied him into submission. The congressman detailed a catalog of terror targeted at his private life.
Radicals vandalized his family home, ignited a fire in his driveway, and launched disruptive late-night demonstrations that terrorized his quiet neighborhood. The thuggery didn’t stop there; unruly mobs repeatedly shut down his local town halls, and an innocent member of his congressional staff was physically assaulted.
My statement on my vote in support of Rep. Massie's Amendment #8. pic.twitter.com/gLoeYWiCNv
— Rep. Adam Smith (@RepAdamSmith) July 16, 2026
But rather than standing strong against the lawless mob, the powerful defense lawmaker folded like a lawn chair.
The shocking capitulation comes as Smith stares down a tense August 4 primary challenge from two fierce anti-Israel activists. Critics say his vote smells of pure political survival, driven by an appetite to appease the most extreme elements of his party.
The $3.3 billion aid package was targeted by an amendment from Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) to strip funding from the 2027 State Department appropriations bill. While top Democrats like Representative Greg Meeks (D-NY) warned that defunding Israel during an existential crisis was dangerous policy, Smith broke ranks. Other progressives, like Representative Greg Casar (D-TX), cheered the cuts, blindly blasting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. The amendment ultimately failed 104–314–10 (103 Dems for, 98 against, 10 present; Rep. Thomas Massie the lone GOP yes).
In his explanation, Smith tried to play both sides. He acknowledged that many of the radicals demanding America completely abandon the Jewish state actually deny Israel’s right to exist, pointing out their willful blindness to the horrific, violent extremism of Hamas. He claimed his vote was merely an attempt to grab the “attention of the Israeli government.”
Yet, no amount of political spin can mask the dangerous precedent. By backing down after his home was targeted and his staff attacked, Smith sent a loud and clear message to political extremists: terrorism works.
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