But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Daniel Biss
Democrat · U.S. House, Illinois District 9
?Mixed
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.
Two reviewers, reading the public record as a whole, agree: His campaign backs halting U.S. weapons sales that fuel the conflict while supporting continued aid under the 2016 memorandum and expanded Iron Dome funding, so his words point both ways. Reviewed by hand on 2026-09-28. This candidate has no recorded tracked floor votes.
Biss backs "halting U.S. weapons sales that fuel this conflict" and U.S. recognition of a Palestinian state, while supporting continued aid under the 2016 memorandum and saying the U.S. "must aggressively support and expand funding for the Iron Dome." All military aid, he says, must comply with U.S. law.
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Biss is the mayor of Evanston, a former state senator, and the Democratic nominee for Illinois's 9th District, an open seat.
His position is set out on his own Substack and it draws a line between kinds of weapons. In January 2026 he wrote that an earlier essay laid out "support for recognition of a Palestinian state and halting U.S. weapons sales that fuel this conflict," and on the same page: "Daniel will support continued aid to Israel in accordance with the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding, and looks forward to seeing a renewed, expanded Memorandum of Understanding in the coming years." It adds that "the U.S. must aggressively support and expand funding for the Iron Dome, which is critical for the safety of the people of Israel," and that "all military aid to every nation must be compliant with U.S. law."
That page is also where he accounts for having met AIPAC representatives, saying he laid out "support for a two-state solution, opposition to the humanitarian catastrophe the Netanyahu government has inflicted on Gaza and Israel's illegal settlements in the West Bank, and the need to combat antisemitism," and that he does not share AIPAC's "hardline views."
His August 2025 essay argued that civilian starvation and destruction in Gaza were choices rather than inevitabilities, while condemning the October 7 attack. He is reported to have endorsed the Block the Bombs Act and the Ceasefire Compliance Act; that endorsement is not on either essay we read, so it is noted rather than quoted.
The money
Checked the five lobbying groups we track; no direct 2026 support found
2026 support from the five lobbying groups we track
Nothing recorded (as of 2026-07-23) from the five lobbying groups we track; earlier cycles and earmarked donations not yet tracked.
Support-only OpenFEC data. Opposition independent expenditures are excluded.
In their words
“In particular, Daniel believes the U.S. must aggressively support and expand funding for the Iron Dome, which is critical for the safety of the people of Israel. Daniel believes all military aid to every nation must be compliant with U.S. law.”
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
[Position, 2026-01-23] "A note on AIPAC", his own Substack, opened and confirmed word for word. He describes his earlier essay as laying out "support for recognition of a Palestinian state and halting U.S. weapons sales that fuel this conflict." The same page states: "As a member of Congress, Daniel will support continued aid to Israel in accordance with the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding, and looks forward to seeing a renewed, expanded Memorandum of Understanding in the coming years." And: "In particular, Daniel believes the U.S. must aggressively support and expand funding for the Iron Dome, which is critical for the safety of the people of Israel. Daniel believes all military aid to every nation must be compliant with U.S. law." Note the register: parts of the page are written in the third person about him, so they are the campaign's statement rather than his spoken words.
[Position, 2025-08-22] "In Israel and Gaza, We Must Make a Different Choice", his own essay: called for halting U.S. weapons transfers contributing to civilian starvation and casualties in Gaza. Opened; the page carries the starvation argument.
[Position, January 2026 and 2026-03-30, UNVERIFIED as to the bills] The research turns up he announced support for the **Block the Bombs Act** and the **Ceasefire Compliance Act**, and reiterated the former in The Nation. **Neither bill name appears on either Substack page we read.** The Nation article was not opened, so the endorsement is reported, not quoted, and is kept out of the card summary.
He has no federal voting record.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
[Position, 2026-01-23] Supports "immediate humanitarian assistance for Gaza" and preemptive U.S. recognition of a Palestinian state with no governance role for Hamas, as reported's reading of his position paper, alongside an end to West Bank settlements and the blockade. The recognition and settlement elements are confirmed on the AIPAC note; the humanitarian-assistance detail was not separately verified.
Characterization of the conflict
[Position, 2026-01-23] Confirmed verbatim: he told AIPAC representatives of his "opposition to the humanitarian catastrophe the Netanyahu government has inflicted on Gaza and Israel's illegal settlements in the West Bank."
[Position, 2025-08-22] Condemned Hamas's October 7 attack while characterizing the Israeli campaign as a humanitarian catastrophe and arguing that civilian starvation and destruction were choices.
[Position, 2026-03] The research turns up he declined to use the words "genocide" or "apartheid" while saying he does not criticize those who do. Sources are primary-night interviews; not verified.
[Position, 2026-03-17] Primary victory speech affirming equal rights and self-determination for Palestinians and Israelis (J Street post, login-walled; Fox 32 race coverage).
[Position, 2026-01-23] Cites his family background as the grandson of Holocaust survivors and son of an Israeli citizen, and names combating antisemitism a core priority.
As mayor of Evanston he was the subject of local reporting about policing of a Northwestern University encampment (Daily Northwestern, Jewish Insider). Campus-protest policing is outside what this project tracks; recorded here as what the research consulted.
But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and
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