by Arvind Dilawar
Arvind Dilawar is an independent journalist. His articles, essays and interviews have appeared in The New York Times, Time Magazine, The Daily Beast and elsewhere. Find him online at: adilawar.com

The members of the House of Representatives, whose districts include Dutchess County, voted to send $4.4 billion to Israel, as well as to punish United States citizens for criticism of its government.

House of Representative members Pat Ryan and Mike Lawler together received nearly $1.5 million in campaign contributions from pro-Israel lobbyists, according to the most recent campaign finance data filed with the Federal Election Commission. Ryan received nearly $380,000 from the American Israel Political Action Committee, better known as AIPAC, and Lawler received more than $1 million. Ryan, a Democrat, also received $5,000 from Democratic Majority for Israel, and Lawler, a Republican, received $20,000 from the Republican Jewish Coalition.

Although AIPAC, DMFI and RJC target different segments of the political spectrum, they function identically: funneling campaign financing to politicians who commit to sending billions in US tax dollars to Israel, as well as deploying US military assets to fend off challenges to Israel’s ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip, occupation of Palestinian territory in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and aggression against Lebanon, Syria and Iran. Politicians backed by the lobby have also attempted to legislate against growing criticism of Israel in the United States and abroad.

In 2024, Ryan and Lawler voted in favor of House Resolution 8034, which approved sending $4.4 billion to Israel. Lawler also introduced — and Ryan voted for — House Resolution 6090, which advocated for criticism of Israel to be punishable under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Additionally, Ryan and Lawler signed onto a letter encouraging the State Department to undermine South Africa's case against Israel at the International Court of Justice for committing genocide in Gaza.

Both Ryan and Lawler represent portions of Dutchess County and are currently up for re-election. According to FEC data, Ryan's re-election committee received nearly $140,000 from AIPAC during the current election cycle, and Lawler's committee received more than $630,000. The two incumbents are running unopposed for their respective parties' nominations in the primaries, for which early voting will begin June 13 at sites designated by the Dutchess County Board of Elections. Effie Phillips-Staley stands out as one of Lawler's potential Democratic opponents who has explicitly rejected funding from AIPAC.

(Both Ryan's and Lawler's re-election campaigns failed to respond to requests for comment from A Little Beacon Blog.)