A group of Ohioans are circulating a letter targeting Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) not only for agreeing to be endorsed by J Street, but for proposing cuts in aid to Israel in the 1990s.
Brown is facing State Treasurer Josh Mandel.
Here’s a passage:
Opposing Foreign Aid to Israel:
Since going to Washington, Sherrod Brown has voted against aid to Israel on five separate occasions.
CUTTING Aid to Israel:
Sadly, Sherrod Brown even voted to CUT aid to Israel in the highly controversial “Campbell Amendment”, (H.R. 1486,) that singled out Israel’s aid for elimination.
We’ve checked the record: Brown, then a House member, like many other Democrats, including Jewish Democrats, opposed GOP foreign aid proposals because of cuts to aid to Africa.
In one case where Israel was cited, the proposed symbolic cut was to economic, not military aid — which was in any case being phased out at Israel’s behest.
Here’s a passage from the 1997 floor International Relations Committee speech by then-Rep. Tom Campbell (R-Calif.) who authored the amendment:
To those who have a very legitimate concern about military assistance to our ally and friend, Israel, and to Egypt, this is not the subject of this amendment. But economic assistance to an economy which is far above that of the poorest of the poor seems to be not the will of the majority of the American people. Here are the numbers. Presently, the United States, on a per-capita basis in economic aid, gives $215 per person in Israel, $14 per person in Egypt, and $1.73 per person in Sub-Saharan Africa. This is wrong; it does not represent the priorities of our country—17 cents for every human in India, $1.20 for every human in Latin America and the Caribbean. I repeat, I am speaking of economic aid only. There are military interests. There is necessity to support allies. I am not touching those.
A substantial minority of Republicans similarly voted against foreign aid budgets (including aid to Israel) more recently when Democrats controlled the House, citing among other reasons the inclusion of funding for family planning groups overseas that carried out abortions.
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