1. Bills, Resolutions
2. Letters
3. Hearings & Markups
4. Selected Members on the Record
5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements

New episodes of FMEP’s Occupied Thoughts podcast:

• 10/13/25: Accountability After Genocide and the Emerging Left-Right Consensus on Israel in America, ft. FMEP fellow Ahmed Moor in conversation with Matt Duss, Executive Vice-President at the Center for International Policy and former foreign policy advisor to Senator Bernie Sanders (and former president of FMEP).

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1. Bills & Resolutions

(FY26 NDAA – Senate) S. 2296: On 10/9/25, the Senate passed S. 2296, the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act, by a vote of 77-20. For full Middle East/Israel-related provisions in the base bill, as well as Middle East/Israel-related proposed amendments, see my  previously published comprehensive analysis. With respect to Middle East-related amendments offered to the bill (covered in detail in the aforementioned analysis), the Senate took the following actions:

• (FLYING FOREIGN FLAGS) S.Amdt.3213 to S.Amdt.3748, offered by Marshall (R-KS), “To prohibit the flying, draping, or other display of any flag other than the flag of the United States at covered public buildings.” DEFEATED 10/9/25 by a voice vote. NOTE: On the Senate floor, Reed (D-RI) argued against this amendment, noting: “…This amendment raises serious constitutional concerns about the right of free expression. But one example would be that a Member of Congress could not fly the flag of Israel, for example, unless he or she were being visited by an Israeli Ambassador…“
• (SYRIA REPORT) SA 3899 to SA 3748: Offered by Graham (R-SC), to require a report every 180 days on the government of Syria. PASSED BY VOICE VOTE 10/9/25
• (STATE AUTH BILL) SA 3819: Offered by Shaheen (D-NH) and Risch (R-ID), to add the full text of the FY26 State Department Authorization Act to the bill, including various provisions related to Iran and Syria. PASSED BY VOICE VOTE 10/9/25
• (IRAQ AUMF) SA 3337, offered by Kaine (D-VA) and Young (R-IN), to add a section entitled, “REPEAL OF AUTHORIZATIONS FOR USE OF MILITARY FORCE AGAINST IRAQ.” PASSED BY VOICE VOTE 10/9/25
• (ANS) SA 3748: Offered by Wicker (R-MS), deleting the entire text and replacing it with an amended version of the entire bill [mirrors all the Middle East/Israel provisions in the original bill]. PASSED BY VOICE VOTE 10/9/25, as amended.

Also see: The Lever 10/16/25: Israel’s Hidden Perks In Congress’ $914B Military Budget

(DEFENSE APPROPS BILL – HOUSE) HR 4016: The FY26 Defense Appropriations bill, passed by the House 7/18/25 at 12:45am by a vote of 221 – 209. For Middle East-related details of the House-passed version, see the 7/18/25 edition of the Round-Up. On 7/14/25, a cloture motion on the motion to proceed to the measure presented in Senate; it failed by a vote of 50-44. NOTE: When the Senate does take up the HR 4016, it will amend the House version by replacing the full House-passed text with the text of S. 2572, subject to amendments on the Senate floor. The provisions in the two bills with respect to $500 million for Israeli military programs [Iron Dome, the Short Range Ballistic Missile Defense (SRBMD) program, and Arrow 3] are virtually identical.

(ANTI-PALESTINIAN HATE CRIME/MURDER) H. Con. Res. 57: Introduced 10/14/25 by Ramirez (D-IL) and 13 cosponsors (all Democrats), “Honoring Wadee Alfayoumi, a 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy, murdered as a victim of a hate crime for his Palestinian-Muslim identity, in the State of Illinois.” Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

2. Letters

• [TRUMP ADMIN TARGETING FREE SPEECH/PROTEST] 10/16/25: Pocan, Huffman, Jayapal Lead Letter to Trump Slamming Executive Order Targeting Protected Speech [letter text]
• [TARGETING CAIR] 10/14/25: Free Beacon – Stefanik, Cotton Urge Treasury Department To Probe CAIR for ‘Financial Links to Hamas’ [letter text]. Also see: CAIR 10/15/24 – CAIR Debunks Tom Cotton and Elise Stefanik’s Latest Demands for Federal Witch Hunt into Americans Opposed to Gaza Genocide; CAIR’s full response letter to Secretary Bessent.

3. Hearings & Markups

AIPAC/Israel in US elex & politics

• Tom Dillon Show Clips 10/17/25: MTG Explains The AIPAC Problem To Tim Dillon
• Moulton (D-MA) 10/16/25: X-post – “I am returning AIPAC donations and refusing to accept any donations or support from them. The FEC filing I made yesterday reflects that we are returning donations.“
• Greene (R-GA) 10/16/25: X-post w/ video clip – “Matt Gaetz just delivered the truth about how many Christians visiting the holy land and Arab Americans visiting family are treated when they visit Israel. Christians living in Gaza and Israel have told me many similar stories.“
• Khanna (D-CA) 10/14/25: X-post – “This is not ‘interesting.’ It is defining for the future of our party. We must be for human rights, not take PAC & lobbyist money including AIPAC, & call out the genocide to win the trust of young voters & have America be a moral leader in the world again…” Responding to post/clip of Gavin Newsom, asked about AIPAC, responding repeatedly, “it’s interesting“
• Massie (R-KY) 10/13/25: X-post w/ video clip – “

Trump asked dual citizen Miriam Adelson, a billionaire running nasty ads against me in Kentucky, ‘what do you love more, the United States or Israel?’ She refused to answer him. He says that might mean she loves Israel more. This isn’t AI, it’s real video…


”
• Ken Klipperstein clips of Greene (R-GA) interview 10/12/25: X-posts w/ video – “MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE: ‘ Here goes another a hundred billion dollars to Ukraine, or $30 billion to Israel, but yet nobody can afford health insurance premiums.’ ‘And then I’m getting yelled at by Republican colleagues for saying that out loud. I’m like, this is insane!’” and “MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE:  Israel has state-funded healthcare, they have state funded education, college education. We have to continue to give them $3.8 billion every single year. Israel’s the only one really coming out, getting our military to fight all their wars for ’em.”
• Greene (R-GA) 10/11/25; X-post – “I am not funded by AIPAC or any other foreign lobbyists groups. I am also not funded by the military industrial complex, big pharma, health insurance industry, or any industry. I am 1,000,000% only working for my district and the American people. Get off the internet, hug your family and tell them you love ‘em, and enjoy the real world.“
• DropSite News clips from Greene (R-GA) interview 10/10/25: X-posts w/ video- “‘The IDF is still unbelievably controlling and brutal to people at checkpoints.’ Rep. @mtgreenee speaks about the IDF’s harassment of Palestinians in the West Bank, says Israel has ‘brutally murdered’ Palestinians in Gaza, and joins comedian @TimJDillon in slamming Trump’s $20 billion bailout to Argentina.” & “‘They’re not Hamas. They’re literally women and children. And you can’t unsee the amount of pictures and videos of children that have been blown to pieces and are they’re finding them dead in the rubble. That isn’t—those aren’t actors, that isn’t fake war propaganda. It’s very real.’ — @RepMTG to CNN“
• Khanna (D-CA) 10/9/25: X-post – “I don’t take a dime from any PAC or lobbyist, including AIPAC. I am proud to be one of the handful of Democrats standing up against Big Money. @TrackAIPAC“

Other stuff

• Graham (R-SC) 10/16/25: X-post – “I just read that NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani has indicated that if Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu set foot in New York City, he would be arrested. I find this statement to be outrageous. The charges against Prime Minister Netanyahu originate from the International Criminal Court, which is corrupt and anti-Semitic to the core. I will be proposing legislation that would deny federal funding to any political entity in America that enforces an arrest warrant against the Prime Minister of Israel. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
• Cornyn (R-TX) 10/16/25: X-post – “The Modern Democratic Party Is Now Functionally Anti-Israel” Linked to article National Review article with that same headline
• Gottheimer (D-NJ) 10/16/25: X-post – “Yahya Sinwar was not a ‘martyr’ — he was the mastermind of the Oct. 7 attacks. This is blatant support for terrorism — and in the city with the largest Jewish population in America no less. They should be ashamed of themselves.”
• Tenney (R-NY) 10/15/25: X-post – “Zohran Mamdani’s anti-semitism isn’t new: it’s been on full display for YEARS. While President Trump delivered peace and brought hostages home, Mamdani smeared Israel, excused Hamas, & blamed America. New Yorkers deserve better than a terrorist sympathizer.“
• Johnson (R-LA) 10/14/25: X-post – “Today, we proudly announced that Speaker of the Israeli Knesset Amir Ohana and I are undertaking a new joint effort to rally Speakers and Presidents of Parliaments around the world to join us in nominating President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2026. NO ONE has done more to advance peace and save lives around the world. PEACE through STRENGTH.“

Politics/Elex

NOTE: This political season continues to see a number of candidates running on explicitly as anti-AIPAC, or anti-pro-Israel/pro-genocide policies of the incumbent, including: here, here, here, here, here, here

• Jewish Insider 10/17/25: Maine Senate primary emerging as bellwether of Democrats’ ideological direction [“Gov. Janet Mills is facing anti-Israel oyster farmer Graham Platner, who called himself a ‘communist’ in 2021″]
• Sludge 10/16/25: While Some Democrats Ditch AIPAC, Cory Booker Cashes In
• Common Dreams 10/16/25: ‘Wow’: Observers Surprised After Dem Moderate Rejects AIPAC Cash — “AIPAC’s brand is increasingly, perhaps irredeemably toxic,” wrote one observer.
• The New Republic 10/16/25: Democratic Representative Says He’s Returning His AIPAC Donations – Representative Seth Moulton, who is running for Senate, says he won’t take any more AIPAC money.
• Mondoweiss 10/16/25: The Shift: AIPAC is suddenly on the defensive [also see bizarre/creepy AI-generated AIPAC ad touting AIPAC as a wholly American organization that works to get pro-Israel people elected to Congress and to defeat people it considers anti-Israel; also for extra fun check out the replies/comments on that ad on X…]
• Jewish Insider 10/16/25: Seth Moulton says he will return, reject AIPAC donations in Senate campaign [“AIPAC responds: ‘Rep. Moulton is abandoning his friends to grab a headline, capitulating to the extremes rather than standing on conviction’”]
• AIPAC X-post 10/16/25: “Rep. @sethmoulton is abandoning his friends to grab a headline, capitulating to the extremes rather than standing on conviction. His statement comes after years of him repeatedly asking for our endorsement and is a clear message to AIPAC members in Massachusetts, and millions of pro-Israel Democrats nationwide, that he rejects their support and will not stand with them.   AIPAC and our 5 million members are U.S. citizens who support a strong U.S.-Israel alliance. Our mission is to promote policies that strengthen this critical partnership that advances America’s interests and democratic values. This strategic relationship is bigger than any government at any particular time in either country.“
• Jewish Insider 10/16/25: As she emerges as populist GOP critic, Marjorie Taylor Greene amplifies antisemitic rhetoric [“The Georgia congresswoman has recently boosted claims Israel had a hand in assassinating Charlie Kirk, and has baselessly accused the Jewish state of meddling in American elections”]
• News From The States 10/15/25: Michigan’s McMorrow faces tough questions on AIPAC, new Gaza stance during U.S. Senate forum
• Maryland Matters 10/15/25: It’s on: Challengers announce in Howard County, 7th District races, more moves in political notes [“Conway, 36, estimates he’ll need to raise at least $1 million to be competitive in the June 23 primary. But he does not plan to accept campaign donations from Baltimore Gas & Electric or its parent company, Exelon, or from AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobbying and political powerhouse.”]
• Concord Monitor 10/14/25: Opinion: Maggie Goodlander responded, but has not answered [re: taking funding from AIPAC]
• Crooked 10/14/25: Why Marjorie Taylor Greene Sounds Like A Democrat Lately
• Politico 10/14/25: The 5 Democratic primary battles that’ll test the party’s future identity
• Jerusalem Post 10/11/25: Ro Khanna distances himself after posting documentary clip featuring antisemitic influencer
• Jewish Insider 10/10/25: Wisconsin Dem recruit calls for U.S. to halt arms to Israel – ‘I don’t think that we should send more military aid to the Netanyahu government invasion,’ Rebecca Cooke said in video obtained by JI
• The Nation 10/15/25: The Congressional Black Caucus’s Silent Partnership With AIPAC
• Progress Center for Policies 10/14/25: The Decline of U.S. Support for Israel: Starting with AIPAC

Other stuff

• Common Dreams 10/16/25: Ted Cruz Says His Bill Will Allow DOJ to ‘Prosecute’ Those Who Fund No Kings Protests, Which Have Been Overwhelmingly Peaceful [“‘They want to ban protests,’ warned journalist Mehdi Hasan. ‘They want to kill the First Amendment.‘”]