But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Derek Tran
- ✓ Cosponsors the Block the Bombs Act
- Backed with $1K by PACs we track that support U.S. weapons funding for the government of Israel (lifetime)
- Sits on House Armed Services
Tran cosponsored the Block the Bombs Act, barring sales of certain offensive weapons to Israel until Congress sets conditions, while still backing defensive systems like Iron Dome. He supported a July 2026 amendment ending $3.3 billion in military aid to Israel, citing funding without "real audit or oversight."
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You asked Derek Tran where they stand.
Deep Dive
In a December 19, 2025 Orange County Register op-ed, Tran announced he was cosponsoring the Block the Bombs Act (H.R. 3565): "This bill will prohibit the sale of certain weapons to Israel until Congress passes legislation dictating their use," adding, "I will continue to support the U.S. sale of defensive weapons to Israel and the maintenance of systems like the Iron Dome." On July 15, 2026 he supported the Massie amendment to end $3.3 billion in unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel, saying "American funding for the Israeli military has moved forward for years without real audit or oversight" and "it's time we treat Israel as the strong and wealthy nation it is - capable of standing on its own two feet and deserving of accountability."
In the op-ed he called October 7, 2023 "that evil and horrific day" and wrote that "Benjamin Netanyahu's government has laid siege to Gaza, killing tens of thousands of innocent people with no clear objective," drawing a parallel to his family's flight from wartime Vietnam. On June 13, 2025, as an Armed Services member, he warned that a regional Israel-Iran war would be devastating for U.S. allies, especially Israel, and urged diplomacy over escalation. On July 22, 2025 he spoke on the House floor about reports of Israeli soldiers firing on Palestinians seeking food aid in Gaza, saying killing those seeking food is incompatible with the pursuit of peace.
On June 10, 2025, after the Boulder attack, he condemned antisemitic violence and pledged to work with law enforcement against hate crimes. In the December 2025 op-ed he wrote that the rise in antisemitism at home and globally is deeply disturbing to him. These are safety statements, separate from his weapons and funding positions.
The record
Supported sending weapons or funding in 1 of 2 tracked votes · Cosponsors the Block the Bombs Act
House Committee on Armed Services
• Freshman - flipped seat from Republican Michelle Steel in 2024. Vietnamese-American attorney and Army veteran.
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 1 of 2 tracked votes.)
The money
$1K in lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track
In their words
Research log
The notes behind this card: what we looked at, what we found, and where each item came from.
Searched 2026-08-10 for: Tran Israel Palestine military aid statements; Tran CA-45 stance Israel Gaza; Tran Gaza antisemitism CA-45). Recorded key votes are badges; the Massie amendment (H.R. 8595) Yes vote is characterized because Tran issued a statement on the Massie amendment.
U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel
- 2025-12-19 [Current position; verified against source]: OC Register op-ed (reposted by his office) announcing cosponsorship of the Block the Bombs Act (H.R. 3565): "This bill will prohibit the sale of certain weapons to Israel until Congress passes legislation dictating their use"; "I will continue to support the U.S. sale of defensive weapons to Israel and the maintenance of systems like the Iron Dome." Op-ed.
- 2026-07-15 statement, post published 2026-07-18 [Current position; verified against source]: Statement supporting the Massie amendment to end $3.3 billion in unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel: "American funding for the Israeli military has moved forward for years without real audit or oversight"; "it's time we treat Israel as the strong and wealthy nation it is - capable of standing on its own two feet and deserving of accountability." Source is the local blog Orange Juice Blog quoting the official statement. Post.
Characterization of the conflict
- 2025-06-13 [Current position]: Armed Services statement on Israel-Iran tensions: an Iranian nuclear weapon is dangerous to the U.S. and Israel; a regional war would be "devastating for our allies in the region, especially Israel" (fragment, not independently verified); urged diplomacy over military escalation. Release.
- 2025-07-22 [Current position; inline date comes from the text itself; video undated; quote not independently verified]: House floor speech on reports of Israeli soldiers firing on Palestinians seeking food aid: "killing those seeking food is incompatible with the pursuit of peace." Floor video.
- 2025-12-19 [Current position; verified]: Op-ed: October 7 was "that evil and horrific day"; "Benjamin Netanyahu's government has laid siege to Gaza, killing tens of thousands of innocent people with no clear objective"; parallel drawn to his family's flight from Vietnam. Op-ed.
Rhetoric and lobbying
- 2025-12-19 [Current position]: Op-ed framed his aid position within a critique of "a legacy of U.S.-backed forever wars at the expense of the American taxpayer"; Congress must reassert constitutional authority over troop deployments and arms transfers. Op-ed.
- 2026-04-22 approx. [Current position; PARTISAN SOURCES ONLY, kept off card]: Hosted CAIR representatives at his Capitol Hill office during National Muslim Advocacy Day; opponents criticized past rhetoric of CAIR leaders. Sources are the NRCC (attack post, published 2026-04-30) and the Washington Free Beacon (2026-04-28). Bare fact appears factual; framing is oppositional.
Safety and antisemitism (context, not a weapons or funding position)
- 2025-06-10 [Current position]: Statement after the Boulder, Colorado attack: "The blatant antisemitism we saw in last week's terrorist attack in Boulder, and in too many recent instances, is abhorrent and disturbing. I was proud to stand with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to unequivocally condemn all acts of violence against the Jewish community" (per the search notes, not independently verified); pledged to work with law enforcement. Release.
- 2025-12-19 [Current position]: Op-ed: "the rise in anti-semitism both here at home in America, and across the globe, is deeply disturbing to me"; "we cannot allow attacks on Jewish people in their homes, houses of worship, and community gatherings to become normalized" (not independently re-checked against the page). Op-ed.
Identity sources
- Ballotpedia: Democrat, CA-45, elected November 2024, seeking re-election 2026. Existing record: freshman who flipped the seat from Michelle Steel; attorney and Army veteran.
Also in this race
- ✗Supports Chuong Vo (Republican)
All California candidates.
See everyone on the California ballot →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.