Greg Stanton

In July 2026 Stanton said “the American taxpayer should no longer subsidize Israel’s defense budget”, and that the government of Israel should buy American weapons and be held accountable for their use. He opposed the amendment cutting that aid, and in 2024 objected to pausing weapons shipments to it.

Greg Stanton has represented Arizona’s 4th District, which covers Tempe, Chandler, Mesa and part of Phoenix, since 2019, and he sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He was mayor of Phoenix before that. He won the Democratic primary on July 21, 2026 and faces Zuhdi Jasser and Tisha Benoit on November 3, 2026.

His fullest statement on this question is the one he issued on July 15, 2026, explaining two votes on the State Department funding bill. In it he says the American taxpayer should no longer subsidize the defense budget of the government of Israel, and that change is necessary as the current security assistance agreement nears expiration. What he proposes in its place is a buyer-and-seller relationship: the defense partnership should resemble the ones the United States keeps with most of its allies, and if the government of Israel buys American weapons it must answer for how they are used, consistent with American law. In the same statement he opposed the amendment that would have cut off the money, saying it would have ended funding not only for security assistance but for humanitarian aid, refugee resettlement and peace-building programmes, and he named “misusing American weapons” among the actions of the Netanyahu government that he says have weakened Israel’s long-term security.

That proposal has a second half worth reading beside it. The agreement he refers to is the ten-year memorandum of understanding signed in 2016, which runs to 2028, and the framework being discussed to replace it would move some of the money into joint United States and Israeli research, development and co-production rather than direct military aid, as Jewish Insider reported in November 2025. Stanton has pushed in that direction before. In May 2024 he and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mike McCaul introduced a bill that would require the President to notify Congress before pausing, suspending or delaying deliveries of defense articles to the government of Israel, and he said then that withholding critical aid sent a dangerous message and that the commitment to the ally must be unwavering and ironclad.

On the conduct of the war and on the West Bank he has been specific. In March 2026 he said attacks by extremist Israeli settlers on Palestinian civilians deserve clear condemnation as acts of terrorism, and that the Israeli government has a responsibility to stop them. In October 2025 he called the announced ceasefire a long-overdue moment of relief that must lead to a two-state solution. In March 2024 he joined 27 colleagues in a letter to President Biden supporting negotiations to free the hostages and pause the fighting; the signers wrote that a pause could open a path to permanently ending the conflict, and that is collective wording rather than his own. His campaign site sets out twelve issues, none of them foreign policy. His statements on Iran, his work on antisemitism, and his statements from the weeks after October 7, 2023 are on his research page.

Tracked votes: backed sending U.S. weapons or funding to the government of Israel in 4 of 6 recorded votes.

Research

Every page listed below was opened and read on 2026-09-07 unless the entry says otherwise, and his congressional press-release archive was read in full, all 65 listing pages back to 2018. Bands: Position (2024-01-26 onward), Reaction window (2023-10-07 to 2024-01-25), Earlier record (before 2023-10-07), Undated. His recorded House votes and the tracked funding on this record are shown as badges on the card and are not restated here.

U.S. military aid and weapons to the government of Israel

• [Position, 2026-07-15] His statement on the State Department funding vote and the Massie amendment. On the amendment: “I will always vote in America's best interests. That's why I voted no on the FY 2026 State Department funding bill. I also voted no on Congressman Massie's amendment to it.” “Similarly, the Massie amendment would undermine America’s ability to counter real threats from Iran and diminish our efforts to promote long-term stability across the region. It would not only cut off funding for security assistance, but also for humanitarian aid, refugee resettlement, and peace-building programs, which are critical to building people-to-people ties between Israelis and Palestinians.” On the money itself: “I also believe that the American taxpayer should no longer subsidize Israel’s defense budget. As the current security assistance agreement with Israel nears expiration, it is clear change is necessary.” “Instead, our defense partnership with Israel should resemble the partnerships we maintain with the majority of our allies. If Israel buys American weapons, it must be held accountable for how those weapons are used, fully consistent with American law and values.” On the Netanyahu government: “Standing with an ally does not mean staying silent when its government takes actions that make peace harder to achieve. Benjamin Netanyahu and his government are actively working to undermine a two-state solution. The Netanyahu government's actions—including empowering extremists, expanding settlements, tolerating settler violence, and misusing American weapons—have weakened Israel's long-term security, severely damaged Americans’ trust in the Israeli government, and emboldened those who argue peace is impossible.” And: “My vote against this flawed amendment is not a defense of those choices. Israelis will have a chance this October to elect a new government, and I sincerely hope Netanyahu loses power. I support sanctions against violent settlers, and the government officials that enable them, who are undermining security and stability in the West Bank. And we must work to rebuild Gaza and ensure aid to its residents is unimpeded.” The page carries a published date of 2026-07-15.
• [Position, 2024-05-17] His release on introducing H.R. 8437, the Maintaining Our Ironclad Commitment to Israel’s Security Act, with House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mike McCaul and 30 bipartisan members. The release describes the bill: “The legislation would require the President to notify Congress before taking any action to pause, suspend, delay, or abrogate the delivery of certain defense articles or defense services to Israel. Once Congress receives such a notification, Congress has the opportunity to introduce and consider a joint resolution of disapproval related to such an action.” His words: “Last month, this Congress voted in an overwhelmingly bipartisan way to send military assistance to Israel. It sent a clear message: America will continue to stand firmly with our ally as it defends itself against Hamas’s terror and works to free the more than 130 hostages – including 8 Americans. I share the Administration’s goal of bringing a sustainable pause to the fighting in Gaza and protecting Palestinian civilian lives, but withholding critical aid sends a dangerous message to Israel’s enemies. Our commitment to our strongest ally in the Middle East must be unwavering and ironclad.”
• [Position, 2025-11-17] Context for the agreement he says should change: Jewish Insider, “Israel said to eye new defense agreement with U.S. as future of military assistance faces uncertainty”. The current ten-year memorandum of understanding was signed in 2016 and provides $3.8 billion a year in military aid and missile-defence funding; the reported replacement would run to 2048 and would put some of the money into joint United States and Israeli research and development rather than direct military aid. The article quotes Dana Stroul of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy: “Remarkably, the U.S.-Israel defense partnership has only deepened over the past two years despite increasing criticism of its approach to Gaza.” Jewish Insider is a Washington news organization covering politics and the Jewish community. This item is not a statement by Stanton; it is here because his proposal is about what replaces that agreement.
• [Reaction window, 2023-11-02] His statement opposing the House Republican conditional aid proposal: “Israel needs our strong, unified and bipartisan support now more than ever to defend itself against Hamas’ terror. But today, House Republicans are attempting to use critical aid for an ally at war as a cynical, partisan bargaining chip.” “It’s a dangerous precedent to set – support for the Israeli people should never be conditional.” “The President put forward a robust request for emergency funding, one that also meets our humanitarian obligation to aid civilians being used as human shields in Gaza. I’ll work with anyone–Republican or Democrat, House or Senate–to pass a clean funding package as quickly as possible.” Off the card; recorded here with its date.
• [Reaction window, 2023-11-09] His opening remarks at the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing “Friend and Ally: U.S. Support for Israel after Hamas’ Barbaric Attack”, as prepared for delivery. They include his statement that Israel’s security is tied to America’s national security, that shared Israeli intelligence boosts the United States government’s ability to anticipate threats, and a call for Congress to pass a national security funding package mirroring the President’s full request. Off the card; recorded here with its date.
• [Reaction window, October 2023] Three further releases from that month are in his archive and are off the card for the same reason: his statement on the attacks and resources for Arizonans abroad, a bipartisan Foreign Affairs Committee resolution reaffirming support for Israel, and a readout of his call with the USAID Administrator about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

U.S. aid to Palestinians

• [Position, 2026-07-15] In the July 2026 statement he objects that the amendment would cut off funding “for humanitarian aid, refugee resettlement, and peace-building programs”, and writes: “And we must work to rebuild Gaza and ensure aid to its residents is unimpeded.”
• [Position, 2024-03-01] The letter to President Biden he signed with 27 colleagues, supporting negotiations for a hostage release and a pause in the fighting. Collective wording throughout. The signers wrote: “A temporary pause in fighting will not only help release the hostages and give desperately needed relief to the millions of civilians displaced by this war, it can also open a path to permanently ending the conflict.” They also called on Israel “to work with Egypt, the United States and others to facilitate the sustained entry of substantial humanitarian relief into Gaza”, and asked for a “provisional recovery administration to secure Gaza until a permanent government can be established”. Because the wording is the group’s, it is not attributed to him alone.
• [Position, 2025-05-28] A statement of 41 House Democrats organised by Democratic Majority for Israel, led by Rep. Dan Goldman, calling for renewed United States leadership to secure the release of hostages, ensure delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians, and support post-war governance in Gaza that excludes Hamas. “Greg Stanton (AZ-04)” appears in the published signer list. Democratic Majority for Israel is an advocacy group that works to keep support for the government of Israel a mainstream Democratic position; its political committee also gives to candidates. The page carries the group’s president’s words, not the signed statement’s full text, so nothing is quoted here as Stanton’s.
• [Reaction window, 2023-10] The readout of his call with the USAID Administrator about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Off the card; recorded here with its date.

Characterization of the conflict

• [Position, 2026-03-23] His statement on the violence in the West Bank: “This past weekend, extremist Israeli settlers carried out coordinated, violent attacks against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.” “These attacks deserve clear condemnation as acts of terrorism, and I strongly condemn them as such. Those responsible must be held fully accountable, because without real consequences, this pattern of violence will continue.” “The Israeli government has a responsibility to stop these attacks and ensure they do not happen again, because settler violence undermines Israel’s national security and pushes a negotiated two state solution further out of reach. Israelis and Palestinians alike deserve a future defined by peace and security.”
• [Position, 2025-10-09] His statement on the ceasefire agreement: “Today’s announcement by President Trump of a ceasefire agreement is a long-overdue moment of relief and renewed hope that peace is finally within reach.” “This is the first step in a long process, and it must ultimately lead to a two-state solution that brings lasting peace and stability for both Israelis and the Palestinian people.”
• [Position, 2026-07-15] In the July 2026 statement he writes: “The greatest threat to peace is the fatalistic belief that coexistence is impossible. I reject that fatalism, and I'll keep working toward a secure, Jewish, and democratic Israel living side by side with an independent Palestinian state.”
• [Reaction window, 2023-11-09] His hearing remarks include his characterization of Hamas and of the conditions for a two-state outcome. Off the card; recorded here with its date.

Related rhetoric and lobbying

• [Position, 2026-07-22] The Jerusalem Post, “Pro-Israel incumbent Greg Stanton wins Arizona Democratic primary for House seat”, and the Times of Israel’s report of the same result. Both report that he defeated Kai Newkirk, whose platform included ending all military aid to Israel and imposing an arms embargo, and that Newkirk had made Stanton’s support from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee a theme of the campaign. Stanton’s own words in the Jerusalem Post report are about the primary and not about this question: “This campaign presented voters with a real choice about how Democrats should lead,” and the voters “chose proven leadership that fights back, delivers real results, and brings our party together.” The figures Newkirk gave for that support are his opponent’s claims and are not used; what the tracked committees record is on the card as a badge.
• [Position, 2026-09-07] The Washington Times, “House campaign in Arizona puts a spotlight on perceived Marxist-Islamist threat”, a profile of his opponent. Its own summary of Stanton: “Mr. Stanton has consistently voted to support military and security aid for Israel. He also backs Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas, and has the backing of the pro-Israel American Israel Public Affairs Committee. He is critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has condemned settler violence in the West Bank as acts of terrorism.” Those are the newspaper’s words about him, not his own, so they are recorded here rather than on the card; his own statements above say the same things in his own words. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is a lobbying organization that works to strengthen the United States relationship with the government of Israel and, since 2021, runs political committees that give directly to candidates.
• [Undated; read 2026-09-07] His campaign site’s endorsement page lists Democratic Majority for Israel PAC and the Jewish Democratic Council of America among about forty endorsers, most of them labour unions. The Jewish Democratic Council of America is an advocacy group that organises Jewish support for Democratic candidates. An endorsement is not a statement by him and is recorded here only because the record should be complete.
• [Undated; read 2026-09-07] His campaign issues page lists twelve headings: water, affordability, abortion, corruption, jobs and workers, security, seniors, veterans, education, energy and environment, equality, healthcare. Neither it nor his biography page, the district page, the campaign news page nor his primary-night statement uses the words Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, Hamas, antisemitism, foreign aid or Middle East.

Safety and antisemitism (context, not a position on what America sends)

• [Position, 2024-03-07] The State Department transcript of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing “The Agents of Antisemitism in Latin America”. Stanton questioned Special Envoy Deborah Lipstadt about the protection of Jewish communities in Latin America, about the 1994 bombing of the Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires, and about Iranian influence in the region. His words include: “Thank you very much, Madam Chair, Ranking Member Castro, my friend Representative Manning, who’s a leader in this Congress on so many issues, but especially on antisemitism.”
• [Position, 2025-04-11] ASU News on the “Rising Above Together” conference held with the Anti-Defamation League in Tempe, where he was one of the speakers before an audience of 450. He is quoted: “ASU is part of the solution to antisemitism on campus. It’s not perfect. No one is. But we’ve seen what’s happened on other universities compared to what’s happened here, and I’m really proud of this university.” The Anti-Defamation League is a civil rights organization that monitors antisemitism.
• [Position, 2025-06-06] A bipartisan letter to social media platforms about violent antisemitic content, led by Reps. Wesley Bell and Don Bacon. “Greg Stanton (D-AZ)” appears in the published signer list of about forty members. Collective wording; nothing is attributed to him alone.
• [Position, reported 2026-08-25; not confirmed] A statement attributed to his official Facebook page reads: “Framing violence against Jewish Americans as something they brought on themselves shifts the blame from the perpetrators onto the very people they want to harm. That's dangerous, and it makes our communities less safe. We must reject antisemitism and intolerance in all its forms”. The address, https://www.facebook.com/repgregstanton/posts/framing-violence-against-jewish-americans-as-something-they-brought-on-themselve/1609066823921891/, did not open when we tried it, and no equivalent statement is in his press-release archive for that month. It is printed here as plain text rather than linked, and nothing is claimed from it. It is context in any case, not a statement about what the United States sends.
• [Reaction window, 2023-11-09] His hearing remarks include his remarks about the rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia in the United States. Off the card; recorded here with its date.

The race

• [Position, read 2026-09-07] Ballotpedia: “Incumbent Greg Stanton, Zuhdi Jasser, and Tisha Benoit are running in the general election for U.S. House Arizona District 4 on November 3, 2026.” Benoit is listed as the No Labels Party candidate. Stanton defeated Kai Newkirk in the Democratic primary on July 21, 2026 with 68.1 percent; Jasser advanced unopposed from the Republican primary the same day.

Not on the card, and why

• His statements from October and November 2023, including the two press releases about aid to Israel and his Foreign Affairs Committee hearing remarks: they fall in the weeks this site records here rather than on cards. They are set out above with their dates.
• His statements about Iran, including the June 2026 statement on the United States and Iran agreement, the June 2025 statement on the bombing of Iranian nuclear sites, the June 2025 statement on Israel’s strike against Iran and the March 2026 demand for answers on a reported United States strike on an Iranian school: Iran is a different question from what the United States sends to the government of Israel. The sentence in his July 2026 statement about countering threats from Iran is quoted above in full because it is part of his reason for that vote, and it is not on the card.
• His June 2025 release pressing the administration to help Americans leave Israel: consular assistance, not military aid.
• The antisemitism material: context, and it does not answer what the United States sends.
• Kai Newkirk’s figures for the money Stanton has received, and Zuhdi Jasser’s characterizations of him: an opponent’s words are not narrated on this card. What the tracked committees record is shown as a badge.
• The Washington Times summary of his record: a newspaper’s account of him rather than his own words, and his own words say the same things.
• The reported Facebook statement of August 2026: the address did not open, so nothing is claimed from it, and it is context rather than a position on weapons or money.

Sources read for this card (address; opened or could not open; date read)

• https://stanton.house.gov/2026/7/stanton-statement-on (opened; 2026-09-07; published 2026-07-15)
• https://stanton.house.gov/2026/3/stanton-statement-on-the-israeli-terrorism-in-the-west-bank (opened; 2026-09-07; published 2026-03-23)
• https://stanton.house.gov/2025/10/stanton-statement-on-ceasefire-agreement-between-israel-and-hamas (opened; 2026-09-07; published 2025-10-09)
• https://stanton.house.gov/2024/5/stanton-bipartisan-members-of-house-foreign-affairs-committee-introduce-the-maintaining-our-ironclad-commitment-to-israel-s-security-act (opened; 2026-09-07; published 2024-05-17)
• https://stanton.house.gov/2024/3/stanton-joins-27-democratic-members-in-letter-to-biden-supporting-ongoing-negotiations-to-free-hostages-and-pause-fighting-in-gaza (opened; 2026-09-07; published 2024-03-01)
• https://stanton.house.gov/2023/11/stanton-statement-opposing-republicans-conditional-proposal-for-aid-to-israel (opened; 2026-09-07; published 2023-11-02)
• https://stanton.house.gov/2023/11/stanton-statement-from-house-foreign-affairs-hearing-on-u-s-support-for-israel (opened; 2026-09-07; published 2023-11-09)
• https://stanton.house.gov/press-releases (opened; 2026-09-07; 65 listing pages, 642 items, August 2026 back to 2018, all read)
• https://jewishinsider.com/2025/11/israel-u-s-memorandum-of-understanding-foreign-aid/ (opened; 2026-09-07; published 2025-11-17)
• https://demmajorityforisrael.org/media/press-release/dmfi-applauds-congressional-democrats-call-to-prioritize-hostage-release-humanitarian-aid-and-a-post-hamas-gaza/ (opened; 2026-09-07; published 2025-05-28)
• https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/article-903264 (opened; 2026-09-07; published 2026-07-22)
• https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/arizona-congressman-fends-off-anti-israel-challenger-in-democratic-primary/ (opened; 2026-09-07)
• https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/sep/7/house-campaign-arizona-puts-spotlight-perceived-marxist-islamist/ (opened; 2026-09-07; published 2026-09-07)
• https://2021-2025.state.gov/hearing-transcript-the-agents-of-antisemitism-in-latin-america/ (opened; 2026-09-07; hearing held 2024-03-07)
• https://news.asu.edu/20250415-local-national-and-global-affairs-putting-hope-above-hate-antisemitism-conference (opened; 2026-09-07; published 2025-04-15, conference held 2025-04-11)
• https://friedman.house.gov/media/in-the-news/jewish-insider-lawmakers-press-social-media-platforms-violent-antisemitic-content (opened; 2026-09-07; published 2025-06-06)
• https://gregstanton.com/ and its issues, biography, district, news, endorsement and primary-statement pages (opened; 2026-09-07)
• https://ballotpedia.org/Arizona%27s_4th_Congressional_District_election,_2026 (opened; 2026-09-07)
• https://www.facebook.com/repgregstanton/posts/framing-violence-against-jewish-americans-as-something-they-brought-on-themselve/1609066823921891/ (could not open; 2026-09-07)
• This is a record of what was checked on 2026-09-07, not a claim that no other statement exists.