Overview

• Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York has left the Congressional Progressive Caucus due to disagreements over the caucus's stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
• Torres, a staunch supporter of Israel, has been vocal in his criticism of some caucus members' anti-Israel comments following the October 7 Hamas attacks.
• His departure follows Rep. Lois Frankel's exit from the caucus in November, after voting to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib for her comments on Israel.
• The conflict has caused divisions within the Democratic Party, with some members at odds with President Biden and other pro-Israel Congress members.
• Torres's exit was reportedly a long time coming, with tensions escalating after his public denunciations of colleagues' views on the conflict.