3 in 4 Republicans Under 45 Say They Prefer US Fund Health Care Over Israel

"New polling finds that a comfortable majority of Republicans say they would rather the U.S. fund health care programs at home than continue to send billions to Israel, in the latest show of the increasing divide between the public and U.S. political leaders on Israel policy. Polling conducted last month asked whether or not Republican voters believe that the U.S. should give Israel funding when such funds could instead be used to fund health care at home. A majority of respondents, at 65 percent, said that they believe the U.S. should "reinvest" taxpayer funding for Israel into lowering the cost of health care at home."

"This proportion grows to a whopping 74 percent among younger Republicans, aged between 18 and 44 years old. The findings were included in a survey released on Tuesday by Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) Policy Project and conducted by YouGov. The survey found broad support for various proposals to reappropriate funding for Israel, with pluralities supporting funding other domestic programs instead, like providing housing to unhoused people and universal school meals."

"The polling comes as the U.S. is sending record amounts of military assistance to Israel as it commits genocide in Gaza. At the same time, the Trump administration is carrying out sweeping cuts to health care and other crucial programs at home, including nearly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, in policy changes that researchers estimate will lead to tens of thousands of preventable deaths each year."

Sixty-five percent of Republican respondents said the U.S. should reinvest taxpayer funding sent to Israel into lowering the cost of health care at home. Support for reallocating funds rises to 74 percent among Republicans aged 18–44. The Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project and YouGov conducted the poll, which showed pluralities favoring shifting money to domestic priorities such as housing for unhoused people and universal school meals. The shift in public sentiment occurs while the U.S. is providing record military assistance to Israel amid allegations of genocide in Gaza and while the Trump administration plans nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts, a policy change researchers estimate could cause tens of thousands of preventable deaths each year.

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