In 2026, with the rising costs of food, rent, and healthcare in the United States, one might ask: Where are our tax dollars going?
Well, since World War II, Israel has been the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. Foreign assistance from 1940 to 2026, the United States Congress has sent an estimated $174 Billion dollars to Israel for military spending. In 2016, the U.S. Government pledged to give Israel another $38 billion in military spending over the next 10 years. As if sending away billions of taxpayer dollars annually wasn’t enough, Israel also drives a vast majority of funds to the occupation using the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, otherwise known as AIPAC.
AIPAC was founded in 1954 due to a massive outcry about Israel’s involvement in the Qibya Massacre in 1953 in which two Israeli military units besieged the village of Qibya, bombing civilian houses with mortars before soldiers stormed in, raiding houses, and killing 67 Palestinian civilians in the process. Dozens of houses were blown up, and many more were damaged. But taking the land was not enough. Israeli forces also set mines on the roads out of this small village, so no one could escape this brutal onslaught, further cementing that cruelty was always the point.
Due to the brutality of this attack, Israel rightfully caught international attention. To remedy this, AIPAC was created. AIPAC is a Washington lobbying and political fundraising organization that promotes pro-Israel policies to U.S. lawmakers. It has lobbied both U.S. presidents and members of Congress over the last several decades. Make no mistake, AIPAC was created with the sole purpose of paying off U.S. politicians to smooth over a massacre of innocent civilians and continues to do so today.
AIPAC is primarily funded by CEOs and major financiers, but it also has delegations to convince many organizations and individuals to donate. So what is in it for these CEOs? Well, several large companies highly benefit from the occupation and stolen land.
Coca-Cola, for instance, owns dairy farms in illegal Israeli settlements of Shadmot Mechola in the Jordan Valley. Companies such as Estée Lauder are owned by Ronald Lauder, who s the president of the World Jewish Congress and chairman of the Jewish National Fund, an extreme Zionist who has openly financially and politically supported the taking of Palestinian land. CEOs and major financiers have a lot to gain from funding the occupation. AIPAC is just another avenue for the ultra-rich to pay off politicians to further the exploitation of the working class.
AIPAC has involved itself so thoroughly within U.S. politics, often making our politicians indebted to them in exchange for passing Pro-Israel policies while in office. Track AIPAC lists members and candidates for Congress who have taken AIPAC money. Politicians such as Rafael (Ted) Cruz, for instance, who is a major supporter of Israel, have taken $1,411,545.00 dollars from pro-Israel PACs. It is not hard to see why he’s so head over heels in his support for Israel.
It’s also worth noting that AIPAC does not have to register itself as a foreign lobbying party, and is the only PAC allowed to do so, despite its ties to the Israeli government. No other country is allowed this, not Russia, not China, not France, not the UK. One can only imagine the public outcry if Russia were allowed to pay for U.S. politicians and have them pass pro-Russian policies.
So we know that Texas politicians are heavily involved with AIPAC, but to what extent does Texas support Israel? Turns out quite heavily, or at least the state government does, against the wishes of its people and has been doing so since the mid 1990s.
Since 1994, Texas has invested in Israeli Bonds. Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock announced that Texas will double its investments as of February 2026, originally purchasing $140 million in Israeli bonds and increasing the total to $280 million. Hancock also said in February that the Texas Economic Development & Tourism Office in the governor’s office is preparing to finalize the establishment of a State of Texas Israel office in occupied Jerusalem. This signals that this is only the beginning of how much more Texas vows to support the occupation with working-class tax dollars.
Governor Greg Abbott says that anti-Israel policies are anti-Texan policies. In April 2025, Texas distributed $4 million in taxpayer-funded grants to Pro-Israel groups. Along with issuing an executive order directing all Texas state agencies to refrain from purchasing goods produced in or exported from the Gaza Strip or anyone they deem has “ties to Hamas.” After finding that $4.434,675.00 of their taxpayer dollars were sent to Israel, residents of San Marcos, Texas urged their local city government to take a symbolic stand of solidarity by passing a resolution calling for “an Immediate, permanent, and sustained ceasefire, in occupied Palestine,” an “Arms Embargo on the State of Israel” and “Recognition of Palestinian Sovereignty and protection of constitutional rights.” The city then came under direct fire as Governor Abbott threatened to cut funding to the city if residents continued demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. As we have seen several times this year, this is Governor Abbott’s go-to tactic for pushing authoritarian overreach.
Against the wishes of Texas residents, Abbott, among other Texas politicians, continues to fund the occupation via our tax dollars while taking huge payouts from AIPAC, yet constantly says we have no money for public transportation, no money for healthcare, no money to end hunger, and no money to ensure children in this state receive a quality education. Yet, we seem to have an endless reserve for funding Israel.
We, as the working class, should not have to suffer so that the occupation has more money for the slaughter of innocents. We must push AIPAC and any pro-Israel lobbying groups out. We must unite in getting all of these paid-off politicians out of office, and elect progressive candidates who are for the American people and refuse to take AIPAC’s dirty money.
As a start, make sure to go to AIPAC OUT and join the campaign to end Israeli influence in our politics.
As with all op-eds published by People’s World, the views expressed here are those of the author.
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