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

Valerie P. Foushee

Democrat · U.S. House, North Carolina District 4
?Supported sending weapons or funding in 2 of 6 tracked votes

Foushee voted to cut the aid in July 2026; a month earlier she said "Congress must stop arms sales to Israel, prioritize funding for much-needed humanitarian relief in these regions." In 2025 she announced legislation to bar offensive weapons sales to Israel.

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Deep Dive

Foushee represents North Carolina's 4th District and is running for re-election. Her position has moved a long way, and each step is on the record.

In April 2024 she voted for the Israel security supplemental. By August 2025 she had announced she would sponsor legislation to prevent offensive weapons sales to Israel, telling Jewish Insider on X: "We simply cannot continue to provide the Israeli government with weapons when they are not being used in accordance with international law to maximize the protection of civilians in Gaza." The same statement called a ceasefire and de-escalation "urgently needed to ensure the sufficient flow of aid into Gaza and protect innocent civilians at aid delivery sites from military attacks."

In June 2026 she voted for the Lebanon War Powers Resolution and stated the position plainly: "Congress must stop arms sales to Israel, prioritize funding for much-needed humanitarian relief in these regions, and pass War Powers Resolutions that prevent Trump from further sinking our country into endless wars." She added that the vote "is not a vote in support of Hezbollah, it is a vote against our country's constant participation in unauthorized wars."

On her July 2026 vote she said "Congress has a responsibility to ensure that U.S. taxpayer dollars are used responsibly and that our foreign policy reflects our values, humanitarian standards, and national security interests."

She also said in August 2025 that she would decline AIPAC PAC contributions for 2026.

The record

Supported sending weapons or funding in 2 of 6 tracked votes · Cosponsors the Block the Bombs Act

Floor votes
H.R. 6126 - Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act2023-11-02 · Passed 226-196
✓ Voted No
voted against sending it
H.R. 8034 - Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 20242024-04-20 · Passed 366-58
✗ Voted Yes
supported sending it
H.R. 8369 - Israel Security Assistance Support Act2024-05-16 · Passed 224-187
✓ Voted No
voted against sending it
H.R. 7217 - Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 20242024-02-06 · Failed 250-180 (needed 2/3 under suspension)
✓ Voted No
voted against sending it
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
✓ Voted Yes
voted to limit or block it
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
Co-sponsorbacks this bill to restrict weapons transfers
H.R. 1229 - United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025Formalizes/expands bilateral defense cooperation with Israel.
Not sponsoringhas not backed this support bill
Notable actions

• 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 2 of 6 tracked votes.)

The money

$2.4M in lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track

Lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track
AIPAC PAC: $7,900 · United Democracy Project: $2,105,215.71 · DMFI: $292,131
Support-only OpenFEC data (as of 2026-10-03). Opposition independent expenditures are excluded.
Who these lobbying groups are
AIPAC$7,900The 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$2,105,215.71A 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$292,131Democratic 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.

In their words

“Congress must stop arms sales to Israel, prioritize funding for much-needed humanitarian relief in these regions, and pass War Powers Resolutions that prevent Trump from further sinking our country into endless wars.”
Source ↗, 2026-06-04
“We simply cannot continue to provide the Israeli government with weapons when they are not being used in accordance with international law to maximize the protection of civilians in Gaza.”
Source ↗, 2025-08-11
“Congress has a responsibility to ensure that U.S. taxpayer dollars are used responsibly and that our foreign policy reflects our values, humanitarian standards, and national security interests.”
Source ↗, 2026-07-16

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

  • [Position, 2026-06-04] Her release on the Lebanon War Powers Resolution, opened and confirmed word for word: "The United States has reportedly assisted with Israel's killings in Lebanon, including using U.S.-supplied weapons and intelligence. This vote is not a vote in support of Hezbollah, it is a vote against our country's constant participation in unauthorized wars that compromise our humanitarian standards and put innocent civilians at risk." And: "Continuing to support the death and destruction at the hands of Israel in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran is completely out of touch. Congress must stop arms sales to Israel, prioritize funding for much-needed humanitarian relief in these regions, and pass War Powers Resolutions that prevent Trump from further sinking our country into endless wars." The release also records that she cosponsored H.Con.Res.84 and, since April 2026, H.Con.Res.83.
  • [Position, 2025-08-11] Jewish Insider, opened and confirmed word for word: she "announced she would sponsor legislation 'to prevent the sale of offensive weapons to Israel,'" and her words on X: "A ceasefire and de-escalation are urgently needed to ensure the sufficient flow of aid into Gaza and protect innocent civilians at aid delivery sites from military attacks." And: "We simply cannot continue to provide the Israeli government with weapons when they are not being used in accordance with international law to maximize the protection of civilians in Gaza." The research identifies the bill as the Block the Bombs Act, H.R. 3565; that page does not name it, so the card and deep dive use only the language the source carries.

⚠ **Wrong-person trap in this source, and a live one.** The page is about Foushee AND Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-OR), and the longest, most quotable passages on it are Dexter's, including "Netanyahu clearly believes U.S. support comes without conditions" and "must halt the transfer of offensive weapons to Israel." Read in place, those are attributed to Dexter. Nothing from them is used here. It also quotes Susheela Jayapal's position and mentions Rep. Robert Garcia.

  • [Position, 2026-07-16] She voted for the amendment cutting the funding. WFAE, opened and confirmed word for word: "Foushee said in a news release that 'Congress has a responsibility to ensure that U.S. taxpayer dollars are used responsibly and that our foreign policy reflects our values, humanitarian standards, and national security interests.'" Her underlying release was not separately located; the quotation is WFAE's, verified in place.
  • [Position, 2026-07-23, reported] Opposed Section 219 of the defense budget expanding defense cooperation with Israel, on social media. Source not opened.
  • [Position, 2026-08-06, reported] Announced co-sponsorship of the Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act and advocated halting arms sales to Israel. Source not opened.
  • [Position, 2024-12, reported] Signed a congressional letter asserting Israel had not met conditions on human rights and aid delivery under U.S. arms sales policy. A multi-signatory letter, so no individual quote is drawn from it; source not opened.
  • Her recorded votes appear as badges on this card. They are not uniform, and the June and July 2026 statements above are her own account of the most recent ones.

U.S. aid to Palestinians

  • [Position, 2026-06-04] "prioritize funding for much-needed humanitarian relief in these regions" (confirmed verbatim, above). This is the clearest located statement of her position on aid to Palestinians and it names funding, not only weapons.
  • [Position, 2025-08-11] Called sufficient flow of aid into Gaza "urgently needed" (confirmed verbatim).
  • [After October 7, 2023-11-03] Called for humanitarian pauses to deliver aid to civilians in Gaza. From the weeks right after October 7; not used on the card.

Characterization of the conflict

  • [Position, 2026-06-04] Described "the death and destruction at the hands of Israel in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran" and continued U.S. support for it as "completely out of touch" (confirmed verbatim).
  • [Position, 2026-08-05, reported] Condemned Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, saying such actions "are claiming the lives of innocent civilians and undermine prospects for a Palestinian state." Not opened.
  • [Position, 2025-01-16, reported] Called the ceasefire and hostage agreement a "significant and hopeful turning point." Not opened.
  • [Position, 2024-04-01, reported] After a delegation trip to Israel and the West Bank, called for urgent humanitarian assistance in Gaza and adherence to international law.
  • [After October 7, 2023-11-03] Called the Hamas attacks an "unprecedented assault on humanity" while saying Hamas "is not representative of the Palestinian people." From the weeks right after October 7.

Related rhetoric and lobbying

  • [Position, 2025-08-05] Said she would decline AIPAC PAC contributions for 2026 (IndyWeek, Times of Israel). A campaign-funding decision, kept separate from her positions on what the United States sends. Not opened.
  • [Position, 2024-07, reported] Did not attend Prime Minister Netanyahu's address to Congress.
  • [2024-04, reported] Constituent objections to her participation in an advocacy-organized congressional trip to Israel.

Safety and antisemitism (context)

  • [After October 7, 2023-10-20, reported] Joined North Carolina Democrats in seeking expanded Nonprofit Security Grant Program funding for synagogues and Jewish institutions, saying "Antisemitism is real, it is happening right at our doorstep." Safety context, never an answer about U.S. weapons or funding.

Also in this race

  1. ? Max Ganorkar (Republican)
  2. – Guy Meilleur (Libertarian)

All North Carolina 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.