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

Heather Smiley

Republican · U.S. House, Michigan District 6
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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.

Two reviewers, reading the public record as a whole, agree: Answering a November 2024 voter-guide question, she calls Israel "a close trading partner and ally that shares intelligence on terrorism", without saying where she stands on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. Reviewed by hand on 2026-10-09. This candidate has no recorded tracked floor votes.

Smiley has not spoken publicly on U.S. weapons or money for the government of Israel, or on U.S. aid to Palestinians. No statement was found in source-checked research across 5 sources.

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Deep Dive

5 sources checked and read, every one listed on the research page. Most candidates at this level have simply never been asked.

You are better placed to change that than we are. Ask Smiley directly, or at a candidate forum, and send us the reply: it goes on this page in their own words, which is worth more than anything we could write about them.

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.

Research log

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

What was looked for, and what came back

  • **U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel:** There is no public record of Heather Smiley making explicit statements or taking public positions specifically regarding U.S. military aid packages or weapon transfers to Israel.
  • **Characterization of the conflict:** Material returned; set out in full below.
  • **Rhetoric and lobbying:** Material returned; set out in full below.
  • **Safety and antisemitism:** Material returned; set out in full below.

What an initial search did return, on the other questions

The card's claim is about what the United States sends, and that question came back empty. These questions did return material. It is reproduced word for word so nothing found is lost, and it is context rather than a position on U.S. weapons or money. Em dashes are rendered as hyphens to satisfy house style; no wording is changed.

### Characterization of the conflict * **Shared Values and Regional Role:** In her 2024 campaign voter guide profile, Smiley characterized the relationship between the U.S. and Israel as sharing "Judeo-Christian principles/values," stating that "Israel is on the front lines of mitigating radical forces in the middle east that want to destroy each of our countries". She described Israel as a critical ally that stalls weapon proliferation and shares intelligence on terrorism and nuclear defense systems. * **Middle East Peace and Policy:** In a video interview published on November 6, 2024, by *Muslim Viewpoint*, Smiley expressed a desire for peace in the region and criticized the Biden-Harris administration's foreign policies, asserting that current State Department policies were not conducive to achieving peace in the Middle East compared to conditions under the previous administration.

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### Rhetoric and lobbying * **Criticism of Opponent's Foreign Policy Votes:** On September 20, 2024, Smiley published a campaign statement on social media criticizing her Democratic opponent, incumbent Rep. Debbie Dingell, over Middle East policy votes. Smiley asserted that "Democrats like Debbie Dingell (MI-6) are in favor of funding terrorism & nuclear proliferation" following Dingell's vote against the No Funding for Iranian Terrorism Act (H.R. 5961). * **Rhetoric on Congressional Democrats:** In that same September 20, 2024 post, Smiley criticized progressive Democrats in Congress, alleging that "liberals in Congress" were "cuddling up to and embracing Islamic members who for centuries have portrayed themselves as 'Victims' of Western Civilization". * **Comments on Regional Influence:** In her November 6, 2024 interview with *Muslim Viewpoint*, Smiley stated that Iranian government funding contributes to unrest in the Middle East and reiterated her opposition to congressional actions that she viewed as enabling Iranian funding.

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### Safety and antisemitism * **Critique of Congressional Response to Antisemitism:** On September 20, 2024, Smiley posted a critique on social media regarding how Congressional leadership handled internal party debates on antisemitism. She characterized Democratic statements rejecting antisemitism "in all forms" as insufficient, calling them "not even a 'hand-slap,'" and accused Democratic leadership of enabling rhetoric hostile to Israel and Western values.

Sources consulted and read (5)

Not found

  • No position located on U.S. weapons, arms sales or military funding for the government of Israel.
  • No position located on U.S. aid to Palestinians, UNRWA or Gaza humanitarian funding.
  • This is a record of what was checked on 2026-08-11, not a claim that no statement exists anywhere.

Also in this race

  1. ? Debbie Dingell (Democrat)
  2. – Timothy A. Teagan (Libertarian)
  3. ✓ Clyde Shabazz (Green)
  4. – Linda Rayburn (Other)
  5. – Michael Mickevicius (Other)

All Michigan 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.