Norma J. Torres
In July 2024 she attended Netanyahu's address to Congress; local activists protested, urging her to oppose more weapons to Israel. Explaining her November 2023 vote against an Israel aid bill she said carried partisan conditions, she said U.S. aid to Israel "must be prompt, significant, and unconditioned."
On November 2, 2023, Torres explained her vote against H.R. 6126, an Israel aid bill she said attached partisan conditions to emergency funding: "Our aid and our commitment to Israel must be prompt, significant, and unconditioned." In the same statement she said "we must support Israel's fight to eradicate terrorist Hamas" and that the U.S. must "ensure innocent Palestinian civilians are able to seek safety and receive the humanitarian assistance they need." She supported emergency security assistance to Israel alongside humanitarian assistance for civilians.
On November 7, 2023, she co-led a joint statement with Reps. Schneider, Scholten, and Ritchie Torres condemning the slogan "from the river to the sea" as "a phrase used by many, including Hamas, as a rallying cry for the destruction of the State of Israel and genocide of the Jewish people." The joint statement said Israel has an obligation to protect its citizens and rescue hostages and an obligation to adhere to international law and protect innocent civilians in Gaza.
On July 24, 2024, she attended Netanyahu's joint address to Congress; Pomona activists protested, calling on her to vote against additional weapons to Israel, support a ceasefire, and stop accepting AIPAC funding. Her spokesperson said she "regularly attends all ceremonial events or joint addresses of Congress." An undated Statement in Support of Israel on her House site affirms a U.S. obligation to ensure Israel's security and right to defend itself.
Tracked votes: backed sending U.S. weapons or funding to the government of Israel in 4 of 6 recorded votes.
Research
Searched 2026-08-10; incumbent D, CA-35. 12 source entries, all opened; two do not name the candidate (youtube.com, live.house.gov).
U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel
- 2023-11-02 [months after October 7, 2023]: statement on her No vote on H.R. 6126, the Israel aid bill she said carried partisan conditions: "Our aid and our commitment to Israel must be prompt, significant, and unconditioned." Verified verbatim 2026-08-10. Supported emergency security assistance to Israel plus humanitarian assistance for civilians. (H.R. 6126 is a recorded key-vote badge; used here only because she spoke about it.)
- Undated [on this page only, undated]: Statement in Support of Israel on her House site: U.S. has a moral and strategic obligation to ensure Israel's security and right to defend itself against violence and terrorism.
Characterization of the conflict
- 2023-11-02 [months after October 7, 2023]: same statement: "we must support Israel's fight to eradicate terrorist Hamas"; "ensure innocent Palestinian civilians are able to seek safety and receive the humanitarian assistance they need." Verified verbatim 2026-08-10.
- 2023-11-07 [months after October 7, 2023; multi-speaker joint statement, quotes attributed to the statement, not to Torres alone]: co-led joint statement with Reps. Schneider, Scholten, Ritchie Torres: "Every civilian killed, every family torn apart, Palestinian and Israeli, is a tragedy..."; Israel's obligation to protect citizens and hostages and to adhere to international law and protect civilians in Gaza.
- 2024-01-31 [current position; weak source: YouTube page that does not name the candidate per the search notes]: reported statement demanding Hamas immediately and unconditionally release all hostages (video). Not card-usable without a better source.
- 2024-07-24 [current position]: attended Netanyahu's joint address (KVCR, 2024-07-25); activists protested, urging votes against additional weapons to Israel, a ceasefire, and no AIPAC funding; spokesperson: she "regularly attends all ceremonial events or joint addresses of Congress." Verified 2026-08-10.
Rhetoric and lobbying
- 2023-11-02 [months after October 7, 2023]: criticized House leadership for attaching partisan conditions to emergency Israel funding; security assistance to allies should not be used for domestic political points (same statement).
- 2023-11-07 [months after October 7, 2023]: joint-statement condemnation of "from the river to the sea" as "a rallying cry for the destruction of the State of Israel and genocide of the Jewish people" (joint statement).
- Context [2024-01-15]: listed on reversecanarymission.org, an advocacy site tracking members' Israel positions.
Safety and antisemitism
- 2023-11-07 [months after October 7, 2023]: joint statement warned that rhetoric targeting Israel's right to exist feeds antisemitic hostility; urged rejecting language undermining Jewish safety.
- 2024-05-01 [current position; SUSPECT SOURCING]: claim that she supported Title VI enforcement to protect Jewish students during campus-antisemitism proceedings. Cited sources are a live.house.gov video-schedule page that does not name her and a reversecanarymission page published 2024-01-15, which predates the claimed event. Possible misattribution or date error; excluded from card and deep dive.
Also in this race: Mike Cargile (Republican) · All California candidates.
See the full record →But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. Every claim on this page goes through at least two verification steps. Open the interactive card for votes, funding and contact details.