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“I am outraged that Steny Hoyer is leading a clandestine delegation of Democratic members of Congress without disclosing any information to the press or constituents. His secrecy is evidence of a guilty conscience. Steny knows what he is doing is wrong and unpopular, so he is deliberately hiding information about this trip. This unprecedented media blackout on such a trip is unlike anything we’ve seen: no photos, no official statements, and no answers on whether he is meeting directly with the criminal Netanyahu government. Hoyer has reportedly taken 22 members with him - more than 10% of the entire Democratic House membership - but Hoyer’s office won’t even tell the press which members are traveling with him. Even the Republicans who are on their own trip to Israel weren’t so cowardly.”

“I have long agreed with Steny Hoyer’s criticism of Donald Trump for undermining democratic institutions, stoking domestic division, and abusing the judicial system to deflect from personal crimes. But I cannot ignore the hypocrisy: Benjamin Netanyahu has committed many of the same abuses and worse in Israel, yet Hoyer refuses to utter a single word of disapproval. While Donald Trump dismantles democracy here at home, Democrats lose all credibility by continuing to engage with an equally illiberal and self-destructive regime in Israel. You cannot claim to defend democracy in one breath and embrace an authoritarian partner in the next. As demonstrated in November, many voters also saw through this rank hypocrisy, yet elderly Democratic leaders like Steny Hoyer seem to have learned absolutely nothing. This poorly-timed and tone-deaf trip to Israel is emblematic of why so many voters have lost faith in the Democratic Party.”

“I am a proud American Jew. I have many friends in Israel, including several making aliyah this year. I am the grandson of Holocaust survivors; some of my family settled in Israel after the war. I have supported aid efforts for Israeli first responders since the October 7th attacks. I am well versed in Israel’s history and culture, and I have heard firsthand from Israelis who have fought Hamas in a complex urban environment. I have no illusions about the difficulty of the task Israel faces or the murderous intentions of Hamas and other radical Islamist groups. My concern is with the actions of the current Israeli government that has failed to bring hostages home, intentionally starved Palestinian civilians, and deliberately prolonged the war to keep Netanyahu’s fragile coalition government in power and Netanyahu himself out of his corruption trial. Before October 7th, it was Netanyahu’s own government that not only fractured Israeli society, but also allowed Hamas to entrench itself in Gaza to deliberately fracture Palestinian opposition. These cynical strategies collapsed in the worst way possible on October 7th, with horrific consequences. Anyone calling themselves ‘pro-Israel’ must confront the fact that Netanyahu’s alliance with right-wing extremists has resulted in thousands of Israeli casualties and burned through 75 years of international goodwill and hard-fought acceptance in a matter of months. The Israeli government’s actions have also fueled antisemitic violence and intimidation around the world and here in the United States, directly threatening 250,000 Jews here in Maryland, myself included. Steny Hoyer’s continued support of this criminal government spits directly in the face of the Jewish values I was raised with.”

“Hoyer has not held regular in-person town halls in our district here in Maryland for over five years. His district office serving my community in Anne Arundel County isn’t even located within the district. Instead of engaging with the people he’s supposed to serve, he’s taking his 22nd trip to Israel alongside far-right Republicans. We deserve an explanation, and we also deserve to know if he plans to seek an unprecedented 24th term in office, by the end of which he would be nearly 90 years old.”

“My decision to challenge Steny Hoyer is not about any one issue, but about a long train of abuses and usurpations. Voters have lost trust in the Democratic Party because of representatives like Steny Hoyer, who put their own legacies and personal agendas ahead of the needs of their communities. If Democrats are going to rebuild that trust, we must start by holding ourselves accountable. That begins with Steny Hoyer stepping aside and making room for new leadership that will put our district first, uphold democratic values consistently, and fight against fascism both at home and abroad.”