El-Sayed says US military aid to Israel should fund US schools
Michigan Senate candidate argues taxpayer money should address domestic needs rather than finance foreign military accused of genocide
DETROIT (MNTV) – Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has sharply criticized U.S. military aid to Israel, arguing that taxpayer money should go to public schools and domestic needs rather than, in his words, subsidizing apartheid and a military accused of genocide against Palestinians.
Speaking on Jon Stewart’s podcast, The Weekly Show, El-Sayed tied the issue to national priorities.
“The money we use to subsidize apartheid should be invested here,” he said, referring to the West Bank.
“I don’t want my tax money to fund a foreign army, when it could be used to fund schools for children.” He rejected the suggestion that his focus on Palestinian rights meant he cared more about people abroad: “No, I don’t. This is our money. It should be invested here.”
El-Sayed said his opposition to unconditional military aid extends beyond Israel to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Jordan, arguing that U.S. assistance should meet consistent standards rather than follow strategic convenience.
He also defended his support for the “uncommitted” protest vote in the 2024 Democratic primary, which emerged among voters challenging then-President Joe Biden’s backing of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, saying it drew on tactics from the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa.
“I wanted to send a message to my party,” he said.
His argument places economic inequality at the center of the foreign-policy debate, pressing lawmakers to justify large overseas military outlays while domestic services compete for funding.
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