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

Joe Courtney

Democrat · U.S. House, Connecticut District 2
?Supported sending weapons or funding in 3 of 6 tracked votes

Courtney backed the April 2024 package to “supply Israel with missile defense to safeguard its citizens” with $9 billion in humanitarian aid, after writing in February 2024 that open-ended occupation “dooms any chance of a sustainable peace”. He rejected the standalone bills and both amendments cutting that aid.

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Deep Dive

Courtney has represented Connecticut’s 2nd District since 2007. His six recorded votes appear as badges on this card: Yes on the April 2024 package, No on the three standalone or mandate bills, No on both amendments to cut aid to Israel.

His February 2024 statement pressed House leadership for the bipartisan package with $10 billion in humanitarian assistance, argued the bloodshed of Palestinian civilians and the hostages’ captivity made a negotiated ceasefire essential, and said Prime Minister Netanyahu’s vision of open-ended occupation "dooms any chance of a sustainable peace." His April 2024 statement welcomed passage of the package supplying missile defense and surging "over $9 billion in desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza, Ukraine, Africa, and Haiti".

His diplomacy-first frame runs through the record: praising the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire as proof "that diplomacy can work in the Middle East", and welcoming the January 2025 Gaza agreement that would "finally bring relief to Israeli hostages and thousands of innocent non-combatant Palestinians". He has worked the hostage issue personally, bringing a relative of a freed Connecticut-linked hostage to the 2024 State of the Union and marking one year of the war with the family.

In December 2025 he denounced the attack on a Sydney Hanukkah celebration, and in 2026 committee hearings he argued that cutting civil-rights enforcement amounts to "defunding the anti-Semitism police", per the research record. His October 2023 statements are on the research page. AIPAC’s tracked support appears as a badge on this card.

The record

Supported sending weapons or funding in 3 of 6 tracked votes · Backs 0 of 1 tracked bills to restrict weapons transfers

Committees

House Committee on Armed Services

Floor votes
H.R. 6126 - Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act2023-11-02 · Passed 226-196
✓ 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.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. 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
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
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.
Not sponsoringhas not backed this support bill
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 some, but no more than half, of their recorded tracked votes. (Supported sending weapons or funding in 3 of 6 tracked votes.)

The money

$14K in lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track

Lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track
AIPAC PAC: $13,900
Support-only OpenFEC data (as of 2026-10-03). Opposition independent expenditures are excluded.
Who these lobbying groups are
AIPAC$13,900The 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.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

“A secure, democratic region screams out for a clear path towards self-governance for the Palestinian people, which I have supported for as long as I have been a Member of Congress.”
Source ↗, 2024-02-28
“The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is a breakthrough that will save countless innocent lives and demonstrates that diplomacy can work in the Middle East.”
Source ↗, 2024-11-26

Research log

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

U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel

  • His recorded votes appear as badges on this card: No on H.R. 6126, Yes on H.R. 8034, No on H.R. 8369, No on H.R. 7217, No on both amendments to cut aid to Israel.
  • [Position, 2024-02-28] The negotiated-ceasefire statement, verified and quoted on the card.
  • [Position, 2024-04-20] The package statement, verified and quoted on the card; missile-defense naming is the bill’s content in his words.

U.S. aid to Palestinians

  • [Position, 2024-02/04] The $10 billion and $9 billion humanitarian components he championed in both statements, verified.
  • [Position, 2024-04-03] His statement on the World Central Kitchen strike; his own release listing, reported, not confirmed directly.

Characterization of the conflict

  • [Position, 2024-11-26] The Hezbollah-ceasefire statement, verified and quoted in the deep dive.
  • [Position, 2025-01-15] The Gaza-ceasefire statement, verified.
  • [Prior era, 2012-11-20] His right-to-defend statement in the 2012 fighting; his own release, reported by listing.
  • His October 31, 2023 humanitarian-pauses alignment is not on the card summary.

Related rhetoric and lobbying

  • [Action, 2024-03-06] The State of the Union hostage-family guest, verified.
  • [Action, 2010-04-11] His Ramallah remarks on two-state commitment, per the Palestinian wire service WAFA; prior era, reported, not confirmed directly.
  • [Action] The joint two-state letter opposing Israeli-leadership statements rejecting statehood, per the letter file on a colleague’s site; reported, not confirmed directly.
  • Tracked committee support appears as a badge on this card.

Safety and antisemitism

  • [Position, 2025-12-15] The Bondi Beach statement, verified.
  • [Position, 2026-05-21] The healthcare-union antisemitism hearing remarks ("without a remedy, there is no right") and the defunding-the-anti-Semitism-police criticism; hearing carriers, reported, not confirmed directly.
  • [Action, 2024-10-10] The Jewish Federations medical-delegation meeting, per the delegation’s account; reported, not confirmed directly.
  • His December 5, 2023 hearing remarks are not on the card summary.

Sources retrieved for this card

Race and status context

  • Sitting member, nominated. His Republican challenger’s card carries its own record.

Also in this race

  1. – George Patrick Austin (Republican)

All Connecticut 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.