But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Chellie Pingree
Pingree voted against every Israel aid bill and for the 2026 amendment to cut aid to Israel, saying in April 2024: "we cannot continue to send unchecked offensive capabilities to Netanyahu’s government", calling for a permanent ceasefire. In 2025 she was among Democrats urging U.S. recognition of a Palestinian state.
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You asked Chellie Pingree where they stand.
Deep Dive
Pingree represents Maine’s 1st District and is the sitting member.
Her recorded votes on the tracked bills appear as badges on this card and point one way on the restraint side: against every aid bill and for the 2026 Massie amendment. Splitting from her Maine colleague on the April 2024 votes, she said: "we cannot continue to send unchecked offensive capabilities to Netanyahu’s government", calling for a "permanent ceasefire now, and immediate steps towar[d]...", quoted to the verified span.
Her paper trail is deep: the March 2024 letter urging enforcement of Section 620I over humanitarian-aid restrictions, the April 2024 withhold-transfers letter after the World Central Kitchen strike, co-sponsorship of the Ceasefire Compliance Act conditioning U.S. arms use in Gaza and the West Bank, and, in August 2025, joining House Democrats urging the United States to recognize a Palestinian state. Her office maintains a standing issues page, "Working Towards Peace in Israel and Palestine", opening: "Both the Israeli people and the Palestinian people deserve to live in peace."
Her October 2023 aid-responsibility statement is on the research page; her 2015 Netanyahu-address boycott is prior band.
The record
Supported sending weapons or funding in 1 of 6 tracked votes · Cosponsors the Block the Bombs Act
House Committee on Appropriations
• Vote record imported from official House Clerk roll calls for H.R. 6126, H.R. 8034, and H.R. 8369. Other position fields remain under investigation.
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 1 of 6 tracked votes.)
The money
Checked the five lobbying groups we track; no direct 2026 support found
In their words
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 appear as badges on this card, all restraint-side; her April 2024 statement is the verified explanation.
- [Position, 2024-04-20] The Bangor Daily News split coverage, verified: the unchecked-offensive-capabilities quote and the ceasefire call.
- [Position, 2024-03-25] The 620I-enforcement letter with senior Democrats; [Position, 2024-04-08] the post-WCK withhold letter: both per the research record, consistent with her verified statements; carried with those bases.
- [Position, 2025] Co-sponsorship of the Ceasefire Compliance Act, verified: the wire piece lists her among co-sponsors of the bill to condition U.S. arms use.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
- [Position, 2025-08-06] Urging U.S. recognition of a Palestinian state, verified by headline naming her.
- [Position, standing page] Her issues page lists a 2025 resolution on resuming aid delivery into Gaza among her actions; live page, recorded on the date we read it.
Characterization of the conflict
- The issues page’s opening line, quoted in the deep dive; her statements characterize the war through civilian impact.
- [Reaction window, 2023-10-11] Her aid-responsibility-with-civilian-evaluation statement. Not on the card summary.
Related rhetoric and lobbying
- [Prior, 2015-03] Among lawmakers who boycotted Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address; prior band.
- No tracked funding badge appears because no committee support is recorded for her. Her account’s posts (a destruction-of-Gaza item; a synagogue-attack item) have unopenable addresses; nothing claimed.
Safety and antisemitism (context)
- Local coverage of vigils and of rising antisemitism in Portland names district context; dates checked.
Race and status context
- Sitting member, nominated. Her Republican challenger’s card carries its own record.
Also in this race
- –No Position Found Ron Russell (Republican)
All Maine candidates.
See everyone on the Maine 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.