But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Wesley Bell
- Backed with $4.5M by PACs we track that support U.S. weapons funding for the government of Israel (lifetime)
- Endorsed by AIPAC +1 more
- Sits on House Armed Services
Bell, who unseated Rep. Cori Bush amid record pro-Israel spending, opposes aid cuts: calling himself no fan of Netanyahu, he said “we’re still going to stand with our allies.” Heckled at a town hall, he declined the genocide label: “Let’s talk about the word genocide because we see that differently.”
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You asked Wesley Bell where they stand.
Deep Dive
Bell has represented Missouri’s 1st District since January 2025, after a 2024 primary against Rep. Cori Bush that drew record pro-Israel outside spending; he defeated her again in the 2026 rematch primary. His two recorded votes appear as badges on this card: No on the amendment to cut $500 million for Israeli missile-defense programs, No on the 2026 amendment to cut $3.3 billion from aid to Israel.
An October 2023 interview is on the research page. In a July 2026 joint appearance with Cori Bush on St. Louis Public Radio he said he would oppose cutting off military aid: "I am no fan of [Israeli Prime Minister] Bibi Netanyahu, but we’re still going to stand with our allies", adding that he has told Netanyahu to his face where he disagrees. He co-sponsors the United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act and signed the May 2025 statement of 41 Democrats organized by Democratic Majority for Israel, a group that backs pro-Israel Democrats, on hostages and aid, per the existing record.
At his first in-person town hall in August 2025, already sourced in this record, he was repeatedly heckled over Israel; he told the crowd "Let’s talk about the word genocide because we see that differently", declining the characterization while saying he has raised disagreements directly with Netanyahu. In the 2026 rematch he framed the stakes: "Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah, the Houthis, they don’t just say death to Israel, period. They say death to Israel, comma, death to America", per the Missouri Independent’s report. Jewish community leaders launched the Missouri Alliance Network out of coalition work he is part of, per the St. Louis Jewish Light. AIPAC’s and DMFI-aligned tracked support appears as badges on this card.
The record
Supported sending weapons or funding in 2 of 2 tracked votes
House Committee on Armed Services · House Committee on Foreign Affairs
• Jan. 15, 2025: Issued an official statement on the announced Israel-Hamas ceasefire, calling it 'a critical step toward ending the violence, providing immediate relief to those impacted, and ensuring the safe return of the hostages,' and saying the U.S. must 'prioritize ensuring Israel's security' while moving swiftly to deliver aid to Gaza. [CONFIRMED: primary source]
• May 28, 2025: Co-signed a statement by 41 pro-Israel House Democrats, organized by Rep. Dan Goldman in cooperation with Democratic Majority for Israel, praising the resumption of humanitarian aid to Gaza as 'essential to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza' so international focus can return to releasing the hostages, and calling for a postwar plan for Gaza without Hamas; Bell (D-MO) is named among the co-signers. [CONFIRMED: .gov reprint of the Jewish Insider report listing Bell]
• 119th Congress (2025): Co-sponsored H.R. 1229, the United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025 (sponsor Rep. Joe Wilson), which would authorize expanded U.S.-Israel defense cooperation; Bell defended this support on the record in July 2026. [CONFIRMED: reported by Missouri Independent with Bell's own on-record acknowledgment, and Bell appears in the co-sponsor list mirrored by Quiver Quantitative; official list at https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1229/cosponsors ]
• Aug. 19, 2025: At his first in-person town hall (The Post Building, St. Louis, about 300 attendees), Bell was repeatedly heckled over his support for Israel; he rejected protesters' genocide characterization ('Let's talk about the word genocide because we see that differently') and, per St. Louis Public Radio, said his Gaza position centered on dramatically increasing humanitarian aid, ending the fighting, returning Israeli hostages, and reshaping Gaza without Hamas. Jewish Insider reported he was 'fresh off a trip to Israel' at the time (trip reported by one outlet; not confirmed until a second source backs it up). The event ended with altercations between security and protesters; protesters later sued (STLPR, July 9, 2026: https://www.stlpr.org/law-order/2026-07-09/wesley-bells-security-assaulted-protesters-lawsuit ). [CONFIRMED: two independent sources for the town hall and quotes]
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 2 of 2 tracked votes.)
The money
$4.5M in lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track
In their words
AIPAC (2024; backing again reported in 2026) · Democratic Majority for Israel (2024; backing again reported in 2026) · Jewish Democratic Council of America (2026 cycle, per JTA)
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
- His recorded votes appear as badges on this card: No on the amendment to cut $500 million for Israeli missile-defense programs, No on the 2026 amendment to cut $3.3 billion from aid to Israel; he took office in January 2025.
- [Reaction window, 2023-10-30] Interviewed by Jewish Insider on the day he left the Senate race to challenge the sitting member for this seat, in two spans the report separates with its own attribution: "As a country, we have to be reliable partners. We have to stand by our fellow democracies, and we have to stand against terrorism," and "Hamas is a terrorist organization and I will not waver in my support for Israel." Later in the same interview: "Israel has to be able to have basic security, it has to be able to defend its borders. Terrorist organizations — we cannot tolerate those, and Israel has a right to defend themselves" (Jewish Insider’s interview). Not on the card summary.
- [Position, 2026-07] The no-fan-of-Netanyahu-but-standing-with-allies line on St. Louis Public Radio, per the research record.
- [Action, 2025-04] The United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act co-sponsorship, per trackers and the existing record.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
- [Position, 2025-01-15] His ceasefire statement pairing aid delivery with Israel’s security, already sourced in this record from his own release.
- [Action, 2025-05-28] The 41-Democrat DMFI-organized statement, per the existing record.
Characterization of the conflict
- [Position, 2025-08-19] The town-hall genocide exchange, already sourced in this record; his response to hecklers that they were "standing with an organization that want to commit genocide" is his characterization of Hamas, per the coverage.
- [Position, 2026-07-14] The death-to-Israel-comma framing, sourced from the Missouri Independent.
Related rhetoric and lobbying
- [Race record] Record pro-Israel outside spending in 2024 and the 2026 rematch; tracked support appears as badges; his defense of that fundraising in a July 2026 KSDK interview, reported, not confirmed directly.
Safety and antisemitism
- [Context, 2025-03-19] The Missouri Alliance Network launch, verified via the Jewish Light; an initiative from coalition work he is part of.
- [Position, 2025-08-19] His town-hall framing of his Israel stance within opposition to antisemitism, per the cited coverage.
Race and status context
- Sitting member, renominated after the 2026 rematch. His Republican opponent’s card carries its own record.
Also in this race
- –No Position Found Paul Berry III (Republican)
- –No Position Found Tom Schmitz (Libertarian)
All Missouri candidates.
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