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

Sydney Kamlager-Dove

Democrat · U.S. House, California District 37
?Supported sending weapons or funding in 2 of 6 tracked votes

In March 2026 she said she can "no longer support unconditional offensive military aid to the Netanyahu government" while continuing to back defensive equipment like Iron Dome. In July 2026 she cited her co-sponsorship of the Block the Bombs Act. In 2025 she said "food must never be weaponized."

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Deep Dive

On March 26, 2026, Kamlager-Dove announced a shift on military assistance: "I can no longer support unconditional offensive military aid to the Netanyahu government," while saying "I will continue to support the provision of defensive equipment to Israel like Iron Dome." She said Netanyahu's ceasefire violations, West Bank annexation, and advocacy for U.S. war with Iran "have repeatedly sabotaged lasting peace in the region" and that his "pattern of using U.S. military aid to prolong conflict and retain his own hold on power has continued uninterrupted." On July 15, 2026, in a statement on an amendment to the national security appropriations bill, she cited her co-sponsorship of the Block the Bombs Act and restated her commitment to blocking offensive military assistance to the Netanyahu administration while keeping defensive programs.

Her earlier record ran the other direction on process, not direction: on February 7, 2024 she criticized House Republicans' standalone Israel aid bill for lacking humanitarian assistance for Palestinians; on May 16, 2024 she explained her No vote on H.R. 8369, which she said would force weapons deliveries without oversight. On July 25, 2025 she said "food must never be weaponized" and that "the U.S. must support a humanitarian aid delivery system... that ensures Palestinian civilians receive the lifesaving assistance they need." On October 7, 2025 she called the Hamas attack the "deadliest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust" and condemned the Netanyahu government's "reckless approach to the war"; on October 9, 2025 she welcomed the first-phase deal to end the war.

On April 18, 2024 she explained her vote against H. Res. 883, which declared "from the river to the sea" antisemitic; she said many in the Jewish community find the phrase deeply hurtful and criticized partisan efforts to equate all criticism of Israeli policy with antisemitism, per the Jewish Journal. On antisemitism she backed the Antisemitism Awareness Act in May 2024 and condemned violence outside a Pico-Robertson synagogue in June 2024: "blocking the entrance to a synagogue is antisemitism."

The record

Supported sending weapons or funding in 2 of 6 tracked votes · Cosponsors the Block the Bombs Act

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 No
voted against 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 Yes
voted to limit or block 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
Co-sponsorbacks this bill to restrict weapons transfers
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.

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Voted to send weapons or funding in some, but no more than half, of their recorded tracked votes. (Supported sending weapons or funding in 2 of 6 tracked votes.)

The money

$95K in lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track

Lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track
AIPAC PAC: $5,000 · DMFI: $90,350.78
Support-only OpenFEC data (as of 2026-10-03). Opposition independent expenditures are excluded.
Who these lobbying groups are
AIPAC$5,000The 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$90,350.78Democratic 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.

In their words

“I can no longer support unconditional offensive military aid to the Netanyahu government.”
Source ↗, 2026-03-26
“Food must never be weaponized.”
Source ↗, 2025-07-25

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-37. 14 source entries, all resolved (house.gov, jewishjournal.com).

U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel

  • 2023-10-10 [months after October 7, 2023]: co-sponsored bipartisan resolution supporting Israel's security; U.S. must stand behind Israel's right to self-defense; Congress should provide necessary support.
  • 2024-02-07 [current position]: criticized House Republicans' standalone Israel security supplemental for lacking humanitarian assistance for Palestinians; Israel's security linked to regional stability and humanitarian relief.
  • 2024-05-16 [current position]: statement on voting No on H.R. 8369 (a recorded key-vote badge; usable here because she spoke about it): said the bill would force immediate weapons delivery without oversight; backed Biden's approach of maintaining defense stockpiles while pursuing a ceasefire.
  • 2026-03-26 [current position]: statement on offensive military aid: "I can no longer support unconditional offensive military aid to the Netanyahu government"; "I will continue to support the provision of defensive equipment to Israel like Iron Dome." Verified verbatim 2026-08-10.
  • 2026-07-15 [current position]: statement on the Massie amendment to the FY2027 national security appropriations bill: cited co-sponsorship of the Block the Bombs Act; committed to blocking offensive military assistance to the Netanyahu administration, keeping defensive programs. (The "Amendment 8" label comes from the search notes, not from the source.)

Characterization of the conflict

  • 2023-10-10 [months after October 7, 2023]: condemned the October 7 attacks as "sickening terrorism" (same statement).
  • 2023-11-03 [months after October 7, 2023]: called for a humanitarian pause to recover hostages and let food, water, medicine reach civilians; loss of innocent Palestinian lives "unacceptable."
  • 2024-03-19 [current position; source is the Jewish Journal article, not a transcript]: on MSNBC, endorsed Sen. Schumer's list of four obstacles to peace: Hamas, PA President Abbas, Israel's right-wing coalition, and Netanyahu.
  • 2025-07-25 [current position]: statement on the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza: "Food must never be weaponized"; "The U.S. must support a humanitarian aid delivery system that adheres to international standards and ensures Palestinian civilians receive the lifesaving assistance they need"; urged a ceasefire, hostage return. Verified verbatim 2026-08-10.
  • 2025-10-07 [current position]: two-years statement: Hamas assault the "deadliest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust"; Netanyahu government's "reckless approach to the war" caused a "catastrophic humanitarian crisis."
  • 2025-10-09 [current position]: statement on first-phase deal: relief at potential end to a war marked by famine, displacement, tens of thousands of civilian deaths.
  • 2026-03-26 [current position]: Netanyahu's ceasefire violations, West Bank annexation, and advocacy for U.S. war against Iran "have repeatedly sabotaged lasting peace in the region." Verified verbatim 2026-08-10.

Rhetoric and lobbying

  • Pre-2022 [earlier record; undated inline, anchored to the Jewish Journal profile]: told the Jewish Journal Israel is "an example of what a young, vibrant democracy looks like, and we should be supporting it."
  • 2024-04-18 [current position]: statement on H. Res. 883 ("from the river to the sea"): acknowledged many in the Jewish community find the phrase deeply hurtful when used to deny self-determination; criticized partisan efforts to equate all legitimate criticism of Israeli policy with antisemitism (Jewish Journal coverage 2024-04-17).
  • 2026-03-26 [current position]: "Netanyahu's pattern of using U.S. military aid to prolong conflict and retain his own hold on power has continued uninterrupted." Verified verbatim 2026-08-10.

Safety and antisemitism

  • 2023-10-10 [months after October 7, 2023]: October 7 attacks "rooted in antisemitism"; commitment to protecting her district's large Jewish community.
  • 2023-11-03 [months after October 7, 2023]: noted an "alarming uptick in antisemitism" and rising anti-Muslim hate crimes.
  • 2023-12-05 [months after October 7, 2023; source is the Jewish Journal article, treat as reported]: press release arguing combating antisemitism requires dismantling Islamophobia; safety of Jewish, Muslim, and Palestinian communities interconnected.
  • 2024-05-01 [current position]: statement on voting Yes on the Antisemitism Awareness Act after a swastika was graffitied at USC: "antisemitic beliefs and behavior are abhorrent"; peaceful protest and free speech must be protected.
  • 2024-06-24 [current position]: condemned violence outside a Pico-Robertson synagogue: "blocking the entrance to a synagogue is antisemitism. Targeting a predominantly Jewish neighborhood is antisemitism. Calling for violence against the Jewish people is antisemitism. And none of it will be tolerated in Los Angeles."

Also in this race

  1. ✓ Samantha Mota (Democrat)

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.