Ted Lieu
On the October 7 second anniversary in 2025 he said the administration's humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza is "clearly not enough and is unacceptable" and urged Hamas to accept the ceasefire deal. After Israel's June 2025 strikes on Iran he said "I stand with Israel."
On October 7, 2025, Lieu marked the second anniversary of the Hamas attack, calling it "a dark, evil day that amounted to the worst mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust." In the same statement he pressed for more U.S. humanitarian aid to Palestinians: "The Administration must do everything it can to increase humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza. What the Administration is doing in terms of humanitarian aid is clearly not enough and is unacceptable." He also urged Hamas to accept the ceasefire deal. On June 13, 2025, after Israeli strikes on Iranian targets, he said "I stand with Israel" and that the Iranian regime must not gain nuclear weapons. On March 5, 2026, in a statement on his war-powers vote, he repeated that keeping Iran from nuclear weapons protects U.S. forces and allies including Israel.
In the weeks after October 7, 2023, he condemned Hamas as a "genocidal, homicidal, religiously fanatical terrorist organization" and said Israel has the right to defend its citizens; on October 20, 2023 he said that democratic nations must follow the laws of armed conflict, protect civilians, and permit food, water, and medical supplies into Gaza. The first search also reported that at a September 2024 Israeli consulate event he restated support for security aid to Israel; that item's only source would not open and it awaits a human check.
On antisemitism, Lieu has served as co-chair of the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism since 2021, per an Israel-America Chamber Q&A. In 2025 he condemned the killing of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington as a "sickening act of antisemitism" and the Boulder attack on a Jewish group as a "disgusting act of violent antisemitism." Earlier statements date to 2017, 2021, and 2022. These are context, not positions on what America sends.
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-36. 18 source entries; 3 would not open (laprogressive.com, jpost.com, forward.com).
U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel
- 2025-10-07 [current position]: two-year anniversary statement: "The Administration must do everything it can to increase humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza. What the Administration is doing in terms of humanitarian aid is clearly not enough and is unacceptable." Verified verbatim 2026-08-10. U.S. aid to Palestinians, direction: increase.
- 2025-06-13 [current position]: statement on Israeli strikes on Iran: "I stand with Israel. A world with fewer nuclear weapons is a safer one for everyone." Verified verbatim 2026-08-10.
- 2026-03-05 [current position]: statement on voting yes on a war powers resolution: preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons is a vital security goal for protecting U.S. forces and key allies including Israel.
- 2024-09-08 [current position; SOURCE DID NOT OPEN, jpost.com]: reportedly reaffirmed support for security aid packages to Israel at a Consulate General of Israel event, saying military assistance enables Israel to defend itself and dismantle Hamas. Not card-usable.
- 2019-03-25 [earlier record; SOURCE DID NOT OPEN, laprogressive.com]: reportedly sponsored H.R. 6725 to expand U.S.-Israel directed-energy cooperation and called such technologies "game-changers for our national defense." Bill number/date pairing looks off (H.R. 6725 belongs to the 115th Congress); inline date treated as a claim. Not card-usable.
Characterization of the conflict
- 2023-10-07 [months after October 7, 2023]: statement on Hamas attacks: condemned Hamas as a "genocidal, homicidal, religiously fanatical terrorist organization"; Israel has the right to defend its citizens and dismantle the group. (Second cited source jpost.com failed; house.gov suffices.)
- 2023-10-20 [months after October 7, 2023]: statement on humanitarian needs in Gaza: Israel has the right to eliminate Hamas; democratic nations must follow international laws of armed conflict, protect civilians, and permit food, water, and medical supplies into Gaza.
- 2024-09-08 [current position; SOURCE DID NOT OPEN, jpost.com]: reportedly repeated the "homicidal, genocidal terrorist organization" description of Hamas and said operations to dismantle Hamas should continue as long as necessary. Not card-usable.
- 2025-10-07 [current position]: "It was a dark, evil day that amounted to the worst mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust"; "I also urge Hamas to accept the ceasefire deal so we can end the war and suffering and set a path to peace." Verified verbatim 2026-08-10.
- 2021-05-13 [earlier record]: statement on Israel and Gaza hostilities: condemned Hamas rocket attacks as terrorism; affirmed Israel's right to self-defense; urged avoiding civilian casualties; backed diplomatic de-escalation.
Rhetoric and lobbying
- 2019-02-11 [earlier record]: statement criticizing antisemitic tropes about Jewish political influence; said he became pro-Israel during active-duty military service.
- 2019-08-15 [earlier record]: publicly apologized (Newsweek, 2019-08-16) for social media comments suggesting Ambassador David Friedman had dual loyalties, acknowledging the phrasing invoked a trope.
- 2024-09-08 [current position; SOURCE DID NOT OPEN, jpost.com]: reportedly recounted lobbying colleagues to view October 7 footage. Not card-usable.
Safety and antisemitism
- 2017-02-23 [earlier record]: called antisemitism "insidious and intolerable" after bomb threats against Jewish Community Centers.
- 2021-03 [earlier record; month-only inline date, corroborated by undated israelusa.org Q&A; forward.com source would not open]: appointed co-chair of the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism; hate-crime, law-enforcement oversight, Holocaust-education work incl. Never Again Education Act.
- 2021-05-25 [earlier record]: task force joint statement condemning surge in violent antisemitic incidents (multi-member statement).
- 2022-10-24 [earlier record]: condemned antisemitic flyers in Brentwood and Bel-Air; called for FBI investigation.
- 2025-05-22 [current position]: condemned the murders of two Israeli embassy staffers in D.C. as a "sickening act of antisemitism."
- 2025-06-02 [current position]: condemned the Boulder attack on a Jewish group as a "disgusting act of violent antisemitism."
Also in this race: Houston Brignano (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.