Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel on Friday called for an end to U.S. taxpayer funding of military aid for Israel. Emanuel, who served under President Barack Obama and has been discussed as a potential candidate in the 2028 U.S. presidential election, expressed the view on Real Time with Bill Maher.

Emanuel has been a longtime supporter of Israeli defense efforts. During the Obama administration, the United States directed more than $1.3 billion into Israel's Iron Dome defense system while he was in the White House. He later served as mayor of Chicago and as U.S. ambassador to Japan.

His remarks followed similar announcements from two U.S. House Democrats who are also viewed as potential 2028 presidential contenders. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she would no longer back such aid.

"Consistent with my voting record to date, I will not support Congress sending more taxpayer dollars and military aid to a government that consistently ignores international law and U.S. law," Ocasio-Cortez said.

Representative Ro Khanna also announced he would no longer support U.S. taxpayer-funded military aid to Israel, pointing to Israel's own defense budget. "Iron Dome is important to save civilian lives. Israel should have it, and they can pay for it themselves with their $45 billion budget. The US taxpayer should not be subsidizing them," Khanna said.

A poll last month found that more registered voters viewed Israel negatively than positively, with the shift especially pronounced among independents and Democrats.

At a recent Democratic National Committee meeting in New Orleans, a proposed resolution sought to denounce the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel group that has long been a major political contributor to both U.S. political parties. The resolution was deferred to a working group. One protester disrupted the meeting.