A new national poll finds that a clear majority of Republican voters would rather see U.S. taxpayer dollars used to lower health care costs at home than continue sending billions of dollars in aid to Israel, highlighting a growing disconnect between Republican voters and U.S. political leadership on Israel policy.
The survey, released Tuesday by the Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project and conducted by YouGov, asked Republican respondents whether the United States should continue funding Israel when that money could instead be used to fund health care programs domestically. Sixty-five percent of respondents said the U.S. should “reinvest” funding currently sent to Israel into lowering health care costs at home. Among Republicans between the ages of 18 and 44, that figure rose to 74 percent.
The poll was conducted online in November among 1,287 self-identified Republicans and carries a margin of error of 3 percent. Beyond health care, the survey also found pluralities of Republican voters supporting the redirection of Israel funding toward other domestic priorities, including providing housing for unhoused people and funding universal school meals.
The findings emerge as the U.S. government continues to send record levels of military assistance to Israel while simultaneously advancing sweeping cuts to domestic social programs. The Trump administration has pursued nearly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and other health care programs, policy changes that researchers estimate will result in tens of thousands of preventable deaths each year. At the same time, the U.S. maintains a long-term military funding commitment to Israel through a memorandum of understanding that provides billions of dollars annually in military assistance.
While the poll shows that Republicans overall continue to favor Israel over Palestine and still generally support the concept of funding Israel, it reveals notable weaknesses in support for unconditional aid. One of the clearest signs of that shift appears in attitudes toward the current 10-year U.S.–Israel military memorandum of understanding, signed in 2016, which commits $3.8 billion per year to Israel and expires in 2028. According to the poll, a plurality of Republicans, 42 percent, believe the agreement should be allowed to lapse when it expires, compared with 35 percent who say it should be renewed.
Opposition grows further when voters are asked about a reported effort by the Trump administration to negotiate a new 20-year agreement. Forty-three percent of Republicans said they oppose extending the agreement to two decades. Among Republicans under the age of 44, majorities opposed both a renewed 10-year agreement and a 20-year extension, at 53 percent and 51 percent respectively.
The polling also tested how views on Israel funding could affect electoral outcomes. In a hypothetical general election scenario where both a Republican and Democratic candidate supported identical pro-Israel positions, including the belief that Israel should “do whatever its leaders say is necessary to defend itself” and that the U.S. should always provide weapons and logistical support, only 4 percent of Republican voters said they would vote for the Democrat.
That figure changed significantly when the Democratic candidate was described as opposing unconditional funding for Israel and prioritizing domestic affordability. When voters were asked to choose between a pro-Israel Republican and a Democrat who would “focus on Americans first, by ensuring our tax dollars are used to bring down prices here instead of paying for weapons and support for wealthy nations like Israel,” 17 percent of Republicans said they would vote for the Democrat.
The results suggest that cost-of-living concerns and health care affordability resonate across party lines, particularly with younger voters. In Republican primary scenarios, the poll found that 44 percent of Republican voters would support a presidential candidate who favors reducing U.S. funding to Israel. Thirty-two percent said they would support a candidate who wants to continue sending the same amount, while just 5 percent favored increasing aid. Among Republicans aged 18 to 44, support for a candidate who wants to reduce arms transfers to Israel rose to 51 percent.
The survey also indicates rising discomfort with the political influence of the pro-Israel lobby. More Republicans said they would prefer to support a candidate who rejects funding from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee than one who accepts it. In congressional primary contests, more than a third of Republican voters said they would support a candidate who rejected AIPAC donations, compared with 19 percent who said they would support a candidate who accepts such funding.
Margaret DeReus, executive director of the IMEU Policy Project, said the findings point to missed political opportunities. “Democratic leadership has so far refused to acknowledge Israel’s growing unpopularity with voters and offer voters a real alternative, the same disastrous mistake they made in 2024,” DeReus said. “If Democratic leadership can summon the political will to call for an end of weapons to Israel so those billions can be reinvested in the programs Americans need, our polling finds it won’t just boost support with the Democratic base — it will persuade Republican voters to cross over as well.”
The IMEU poll aligns with other recent surveys showing declining support for Israel among Republicans. An August Quinnipiac University poll found that more than a third of Republicans oppose sending additional military aid to Israel. An October Pew Research Center survey found that 41 percent of Republicans now hold an unfavorable view of Israel, up from 27 percent just three years earlier. A July Gallup poll found that 54 percent of all Americans disapprove of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, the highest level of dissatisfaction recorded.
The growing skepticism comes amid escalating U.S. financial commitments. In 2024, former President Joe Biden approved an emergency bill sending $14.1 billion in military aid to Israel, in addition to funding under the existing memorandum of understanding. A new congressional defense bill released last week seeks a record $901 billion and includes provisions allowing the U.S. to offset arms embargoes imposed on Israel by other countries, including Spain, Italy, and Japan, according to reporting cited in the source material.
Some of the right-wing criticism of Israel spending has been framed through nationalist “America first” arguments rather than concern for Palestinian human rights, and observers have cautioned that such criticism can intersect with antisemitic rhetoric. At the same time, younger conservatives have increasingly framed their opposition around economic pressures and affordability.
Brett Cooper, a conservative commentator and Fox News contributor, addressed that generational perspective in a recent interview on NPR. “Young people’s biggest concern right now, both sides of the aisle, is the economy — we are concerned about being able to buy homes, we are concerned about affordability,” Cooper said. “And so when we see the news, when we see how much money is being sent overseas, to Ukraine, to Israel … my generation is concerned, we are upset.”
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