U.S. Rep. Cori Bush was among 10 members of the House who voted Wednesday against a resolution supporting Israel following the attacks by Hamas beginning Oct. 7.
In a statement, Bush described the resolution as “one-sided,†saying it failed “to mourn Palestinians while simultaneously green-lighting more death and violence.â€
condemns Hamas, the Palestinian party that controls the Gaza Strip, for beginning what it says is an “unprovoked war on Israel†and accuses them of “slaughtering Israelis and abducting hostages in towns in southern Israel, including children and the elderly.â€
The resolution was among the first actions by the House after it elected U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., as speaker.
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was 412 in favor, with 10 voting no, and six voting present.Â
Other than Bush, all of Missouri’s members of Congress supported the resolution as did three Illinois lawmakers — Democrat Nikki Budzinski and Republicans Mary Miller and Mike Bost — who represent portions of the Metro East.
The 10 lawmakers voting no were Bush and fellow Democrats Jamaal Bowman of New York, Andre Carson of Indiana, Al Green of Texas, Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Delia Catalina Ramirez of Illinois, and Rashida Harbi Tlaib of Michigan. .
Lawmakers voting present were Gregorio Casar of Texas, Joaquin Castro of Texas, Jesus GarcÃa of Illinois, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Nydia Velázquez of New York, all Democrats.Â
In a statement, Bush said:Â
“All human life is precious, and I will continue to denounce the violence and bloodshed we have seen in Gaza and Israel over the past few weeks. I deeply mourn and grieve all the civilians — Israeli, Palestinian, and American — who were and continue to be killed. For that reason, I voted against this one-sided resolution, which explicitly and intentionally fails to mourn Palestinians while simultaneously green-lighting more death and violence.
“As more people die every hour, it is shameful that this resolution fails to acknowledge the responsibility of Congress and the entire United States government to do everything in its power to prevent further atrocities. That is why I introduced a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire; so that no one else has to die. I urge my colleagues to join me in not only mourning all the lives lost but also to dare to fight for the living by putting an end to this violence. That starts with a ceasefire now.â€