But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
María Elvira Salazar
- Backed with $28K by PACs we track that support U.S. weapons funding for the government of Israel (lifetime)
- Endorsed by AIPAC
- Sits on House Foreign Affairs
Salazar co-sponsors H.R. 1229, a bill to increase U.S. defense cooperation with the government of Israel. In June 2025 she wrote that “the United States’ support for Israel must be clear and unwavering.” Nothing located has her addressing U.S. aid to Palestinians.
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You asked María Elvira Salazar where they stand.
Deep Dive
Salazar represents Florida’s 27th District, Miami and its southern suburbs, chairs a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee, and is the sitting member.
On June 16, 2025, three days after the government of Israel began strikes on Iran, code-named Operation Rising Lion, she wrote on her official House account: “Now more than ever, the United States’ support for Israel must be clear and unwavering.” And: “I fully back our closest ally in the Middle East as it carries out Operation Rising Lion to respond to vicious attacks and growing threats.” In March 2025 she had co-sponsored H.R. 1229, the United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act, which would increase defense-related cooperation with the government of Israel, per the Congressional Research Service. It sets up a joint program against unmanned systems and extends the Defense Department’s authority to transfer defense articles intended as reserve stocks for the government of Israel through January 1, 2029.
Her recorded votes on the tracked bills appear as badges on this card; every one was cast for sending more U.S. weapons or money to the government of Israel. Her advocacy has also run through missile defense: in 2021 she voted for $1 billion for the Iron Dome system, and in 2025 she co-sponsored a resolution on Iran’s nuclear program that also calls for continued support of the government of Israel’s missile defense systems.
Where she reaches past the war itself is Latin America. When Colombia’s president broke relations with Israel in May 2024, she called the announcement “despicable”. In September 2025 she and Representative Moskowitz led sixteen colleagues in a letter urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to press Colombia’s government over what they called its “antisemitic rhetoric and discriminatory policies”, including by leveraging U.S. assistance to Colombia. As chair of the Western Hemisphere subcommittee she convened a March 2024 hearing on antisemitism in Latin America, and in June 2026 she co-sponsored the Jewish American Security Act to reauthorize $1 billion for the security grant program protecting Jewish institutions.
In her statement on the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks, she wrote that she prayed President Trump would “help finalize a deal that brings every hostage home, restores Israel’s security, and ends this nightmare once and for all.”
Nothing located has her addressing U.S. humanitarian aid for Palestinians at any date; her statements and co-sponsorships from the weeks after the October 2023 attack are on her research page.
The record
Supported sending weapons or funding in 6 of 6 tracked votes · Backs 0 of 1 tracked bills to restrict weapons transfers
House Committee on Foreign Affairs
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 more than half of their recorded tracked votes. (Supported sending weapons or funding in 6 of 6 tracked votes.)
The money
$28K in lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track
In their words
AIPAC (2026 endorsement)
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
- Her recorded votes on the tracked bills appear as badges on this card; every one was cast for sending more U.S. weapons or money to the government of Israel. The grounding for each sits in the record section.
- [Prior, 2021-09-23] Support for $1 billion in Iron Dome replenishment, per the Greater Miami Jewish Federation’s item.
- [Reaction window, 2023-10-10] Co-sponsored the Operation Swords of Iron Iron Dome Supplemental Appropriations Act ($2 billion), per the lead sponsor’s release and Representative Miller’s release. Neither release opens now (both return "Page Not Found"), so the item is not confirmed.
- [Reaction window, 2023-10-16] Signed the letter urging transfer of two U.S.-owned Iron Dome batteries, per Florida Politics and Ripon Advance.
- [Position, 2025-06-27] Co-sponsored a resolution urging dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program and continued assistance for Israeli missile defense, per a co-sponsor’s release, which says the measure "calls for continued support of Israel’s missile defense systems" and "is also co-sponsored by Reps. Mike Lawler (NY-17), and Maria Elvira Salazar (FL-27)."
- [Position, 2025-03-24] Co-sponsor of H.R. 1229, the United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025: Congress.gov's cosponsor list shows "Rep. Salazar, Maria Elvira [R-FL-27]" with the date 03/24/2025, and BillTrack50 lists her among the bill's 182 sponsors. The Congressional Research Service summary says the bill "requires or authorizes certain actions to increase defense-related cooperation between the United States and Israel", including a cooperative program against unmanned systems and an extension of the Defense Department's authority to "transfer defense articles intended for use as reserve stocks for Israel through January 1, 2029."
- [Position, 2025-06-16] Her post on her official House account, three days after the government of Israel began strikes on Iran under the code name Operation Rising Lion: "Now more than ever, the United States’ support for Israel must be clear and unwavering. I fully back our closest ally in the Middle East as it carries out Operation Rising Lion to respond to vicious attacks and growing threats. Israel has every right to defend its people, protect its sovereignty, and eliminate the terrorists who seek its destruction." Confirmed word for word; the three sentences are separate paragraphs in the post.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
- Nothing located at any date.
Characterization of the conflict
- [Reaction window, 2023-10-07] Remarks that Miami stands with Israel and that she would do everything possible to help it, per a WLRN report whose address no longer opens ("Page Not Found"). Not confirmed, so not quoted.
- [Reaction window, 2023-10-16 and 10-17] The joint statement with Chairman McCaul on genocide and Nazi comparisons inflaming hate (per the committee’s release), and co-sponsorship of the Stevens resolution condemning the attack (per the sponsor’s release). Neither release opens now (both return "Page Not Found"), so neither item is confirmed.
- [Position, 2024-04-12, uncorroborated] A remark that she stands with Israel after Iran’s strike; the CBS Miami page returns 406, so it is not quoted. Iran material.
- [Position, 2025-02-04, uncorroborated] Praise for the President’s peace framework, offered via a presidency-archive document whose address no longer opens (404). Not confirmed.
- [Position, 2025-10-07] Her statement on the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks, confirmed word for word: "Today, while negotiations for peace are hopefully close to completion, I pray that President Trump will help finalize a deal that brings every hostage home, restores Israel’s security, and ends this nightmare once and for all. Evil must never triumph, terror must never be rewarded, and the Jewish people must know they are not alone. America stands with them, now and forever."
Related rhetoric and lobbying
- [Position, 2024-05-03] The “despicable” condemnation of Colombia’s break with Israel, also covered by Colombia One.
- [Position, 2025-09-25] The Salazar-Moskowitz letter, which the two "led sixteen of their colleagues" in sending to Secretary of State Marco Rubio (18 signers in all), urging pressure on Colombia's government over "antisemitic rhetoric and discriminatory policies", including "the leveraging of U.S. assistance" to Colombia, per the lead release and Jewish Insider.
- [Prior, 2021-06-16] Her questioning of the U.N. ambassador on Human Rights Council bias. [Position, 2025-06-26, uncorroborated] A World Jewish Congress delegation meeting, per eJewishPhilanthropy. Tracked funding totals appear as a badge on this card.
Safety and antisemitism (context)
- [Prior, 2022-03-17] Co-led the AMIA-era resolution on the 1992 embassy bombing anniversary, per her own release, whose address no longer opens ("Page Not Found"). [Prior, 2022-06-23] Denounced a musician’s Miami concert over antisemitism, per the federation’s page.
- [Reaction window, 2023-12-05] Co-sponsored the antisemitism-commission bill, per a WLRN report whose address no longer opens ("Page Not Found"). Not confirmed.
- [Position, 2024-03-07] Convened the subcommittee hearing “The Agents of Antisemitism in Latin America”, per the committee’s hearing page and the State Department’s transcript, in which she says: "The Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere will come to order." [Position, 2026-06-10] Co-sponsored the Jewish American Security Act, reauthorizing $1 billion for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, also per the lead sponsors’ release (its address no longer opens) and Floridian Press. [Position, 2026-03-05, uncorroborated] Condemned mass antisemitic texts to residents, per the federation.
Race and status context
- Sitting representative and the Republican nominee. Ballotpedia: "Incumbent Maria Elvira Salazar and Eliott Rodriguez are running in the general election for U.S. House Florida District 27 on November 3, 2026." Her Democratic opponent’s record is on his own card.
Also in this race
- ✗Supports Eliott Rodriguez (Democrat)
All Florida candidates.
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