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

Sarah Elfreth

Democrat · U.S. House, Maryland District 3
✗Supported sending weapons or funding in 1 of 1 tracked votes

Elfreth has called for a ceasefire in Gaza and joined Democrats urging the president to press Netanyahu to restore humanitarian aid, a letter affirming Israel’s "right and obligation to defeat Hamas". Activists pressed her to co-sponsor the Block the Bombs Act; she has not.

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Deep Dive

Elfreth represents Maryland’s 3rd District and is the sitting member, elected in 2024 after a primary in which AIPAC’s super PAC spent $4.2 million supporting her, spending The Forward noted came in a race "where Israel is not an issue".

Her one recorded tracked vote, against the amendment striking Israeli Cooperative Programs funding, appears as a badge on this card. Her statements travel the middle of her caucus: a Gaza statement calling for a ceasefire, and a May 2025 letter with fellow Democrats urging President Trump to press Prime Minister Netanyahu to "immediately restore the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza" while affirming that "Israel has the right and obligation to defeat Hamas"; Democratic Majority for Israel, a group that backs pro-Israel Democrats, applauded the letter and lists her among its signers.

From her left, advocacy groups have campaigned for her to co-sponsor the Block the Bombs Act; she has not sponsored or co-sponsored it, a documented non-adoption carried as that.

Nothing located has her addressing weapons transfers in her own words beyond the vote badge.

The record

Supported sending weapons or funding in 1 of 1 tracked votes

Committees

House Committee on Armed Services

Floor votes
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
– Present
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.
Co-sponsorbacks this bill to send more support
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 more than half of their recorded tracked votes. (Supported sending weapons or funding in 1 of 1 tracked votes.)

The money

$4.2M in lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track

Lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track
AIPAC PAC: $10,000 · United Democracy Project: $4,179,712.60 · DMFI: $3,125
Support-only OpenFEC data (as of 2026-10-03). Opposition independent expenditures are excluded.
Who these lobbying groups are
AIPAC$10,000The 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.United Democracy Project$4,179,712.60A super PAC founded by AIPAC in 2022; it spends independently to support candidates aligned with AIPAC's positions and to oppose those who are not.DMFI PAC$3,125Democratic 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.
Endorsed by AIPAC
AIPACThe 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.These endorsements come from groups that back sending U.S. weapons and funding to the government of Israel.

In their words

“Israel has the right and obligation to defeat Hamas”
Source ↗, 2025-05-09
Endorsements

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 vote appears as a badge on this card (No on the FY26 cooperative-programs cut); she took office in January 2025.
  • [Non-adoption, 2025-2026] The Block the Bombs pressure campaign urging her co-sponsorship; she has not co-sponsored. The activists’ framing is theirs; the non-adoption is the fact.

U.S. aid to Palestinians

Characterization of the conflict

  • [Position] The Gaza-ceasefire statement, title verified; the body loaded by script, so the wording is unconfirmed.
  • [Position] Her October 7 statement exists on her site; dates checked.

Related rhetoric and lobbying

Safety and antisemitism (context)

  • Local Jewish-community coverage names her engagement; context only.

Race and status context

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

Also in this race

  1. ✗ Berney Flowers (Republican)

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.