But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check

Ted Lieu

Democrat · U.S. House, California District 36
✗Supported sending weapons or funding in 4 of 6 tracked votes

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."

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Deep Dive

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. An initial 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.

The record

Supported sending weapons or funding in 4 of 6 tracked votes

Committees

House Committee on Foreign Affairs

Floor votes
H.R. 6126 - Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act2023-11-02 · Passed 226-196
✓ Voted No
voted against sending it
H.R. 8034 - Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 20242024-04-20 · Passed 366-58
✗ Voted Yes
supported sending it
H.R. 8369 - Israel Security Assistance Support Act2024-05-16 · Passed 224-187
✓ Voted No
voted against sending it
H.R. 7217 - Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 20242024-02-06 · Failed 250-180 (needed 2/3 under suspension)
✗ Voted Yes
supported sending it
H.Amdt. 55 to H.R. 4016 - strike $500M for Israeli Cooperative Programs2025-07-18 · Failed 6-422 (only 6 voted to cut)
✗ Voted No
voted against limiting it
H.R. 8595 - Massie amendment (Part A No. 8) to bar FY27 funds for Israel and cut $3.3B in Foreign Military Financing2026-07-15 · Failed 104-314
✗ Voted No
voted against limiting it
Bill sponsorship
H.R. 3565 - Block the Bombs ActWould bar transfer of 2,000-lb/BLU-109 bunker busters, JDAMs, 120mm tank rounds, and 155mm artillery shells to Israel. Does not affect Iron
Not sponsoringhas not backed this restriction bill
H.R. 1229 - United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025Formalizes/expands bilateral defense cooperation with Israel.
Co-sponsorbacks this bill to send more support
Notable actions

• Vote record imported from official House Clerk roll calls for H.R. 6126, H.R. 8034, and H.R. 8369. Other position fields remain under investigation.

How this mark works

We track key votes on sending U.S. weapons and money to the government of Israel. A check means every tracked vote they cast came down against sending more, on the side of peace and de-escalation. A question mark means a mixed record: they sided with sending up to half of the time. An X means they voted to send more weapons and money in over half of their tracked votes, even as the way those weapons and dollars were being used became more and more obvious. At exactly half, money this election cycle from a lobbying group we track, or an endorsement from a group that backs sending weapons, makes it an X. Only votes actually cast are counted. Where a candidate has no recorded votes on these bills, the mark comes instead from a reviewed reading of their public record (money from the lobbying groups we track, endorsements, and their own words since January 26, 2024). There an X also covers fully backing the conduct of the war by the government of Israel without significant reservations, and a question mark also covers speaking about Israel without saying clearly where they stand on U.S. weapons and funding. A dash means No Position Found: we found nothing in their own words about Israel, Gaza or the war.

See a dash? Ask the candidate where they stand, then send us their answer and we'll review it and update the mark. Or volunteer to help review candidates.

Voted to send weapons or funding in more than half of their recorded tracked votes. (Supported sending weapons or funding in 4 of 6 tracked votes.)

The money

$32K in lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track

Lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track
AIPAC PAC: $27,900 · DMFI: $4,000
Support-only OpenFEC data (as of 2026-10-03). Opposition independent expenditures are excluded.
Who these lobbying groups are
AIPAC$27,900The American Israel Public Affairs Committee; its PAC backs candidates it sees as strengthening U.S. ties with the government of Israel, including continued U.S. military aid.DMFI PAC$4,000Democratic Majority for Israel's PAC; calls itself the home for pro-Israel Democrats and backs Democratic candidates who support a strong U.S. alliance with the government of Israel.Direct contributions and independent expenditures supporting this candidate from the five lobbying groups we track, every cycle each has filed, through 2026. Excludes earmarked and conduit contributions.
Endorsed by AIPAC
AIPACThe American Israel Public Affairs Committee; its PAC backs candidates it sees as strengthening U.S. ties with the government of Israel, including continued U.S. military aid.These endorsements come from groups that back sending U.S. weapons and funding to the government of Israel.

In their words

“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.”
Source ↗, 2025-10-07
“I stand with Israel. A world with fewer nuclear weapons is a safer one for everyone.”
Source ↗, 2025-06-13
Endorsements

AIPAC (2026 endorsement)

Research log

The notes behind this card: what we looked at, what we found, and where each item came from.

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

Also in this race

  1. – Houston Brignano (Republican)

All California candidates.

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 Find Your Candidates for votes, funding and contact details.