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

Adrian Smith

Republican · U.S. House, Nebraska District 3
✗Supported sending weapons or funding in 6 of 6 tracked votes

Smith voted for every tracked aid bill and against both amendments to cut aid to Israel, writing in October 2024 that “Israel’s right to self-defense must be respected and reinforced”. Defending his aid votes, he said “A lot of this actually helps us with our military”.

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Deep Dive

Smith has represented Nebraska’s 3rd District since 2007. His six recorded votes on the tracked bills, for all four aid measures and against both amendments to cut aid to Israel, appear as badges on this card.

In his October 2024 column he criticized the administration’s hesitancy to deliver aid: "Israel’s right to self-defense must be respected and reinforced." Defending his aid votes in a 2024 primary-season interview with Nebraska Public Media: "A lot of this actually helps us with our military, being able to update the technology, replace equipment with newer equipment, and be able to help our friends at the same time."

After Prime Minister Netanyahu’s July 2024 address, his statement rejected "illegitimate claims against Israel’s right to forcefully pursue the freedom of hostages taken by Hamas" and accused the administration of "balking on its delivery of support authorized by Congress". Marking one year since October 7, he wrote he is "committed to standing up against terror and supporting our greatest regional ally, Israel."

His antisemitism record is long-standing: a January 2020 column arguing Americans "must do our part here in the United States", and questioning in a June 2024 Ways and Means hearing on campus antisemitism. A 2016 release celebrated his district supplying Israel’s first U.S. beef imports after a decades-long ban.

Nothing located has him addressing U.S. aid to Palestinians as a distinct question.

The record

Supported sending weapons or funding in 6 of 6 tracked votes

Floor votes
H.R. 6126 - Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act2023-11-02 · Passed 226-196
✗ Voted Yes
supported 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 Yes
supported sending it
H.R. 7217 - Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 20242024-02-06 · Failed 250-180 (needed 2/3 under suspension)
✗ Voted Yes
supported 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 No
voted against limiting 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
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
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 more than half of their recorded tracked votes. (Supported sending weapons or funding in 6 of 6 tracked votes.)

The money

$20K in lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track

Lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track
AIPAC PAC: $20,000
Support-only OpenFEC data (as of 2026-10-03). Opposition independent expenditures are excluded.
Who these lobbying groups are
AIPAC$20,000The 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.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’s right to self-defense must be respected and reinforced.”
Source ↗, 2024-10-04
“A lot of this actually helps us with our military, being able to update the technology, replace equipment with newer equipment, and be able to help our friends at the same time.”
Source ↗, 2024-05-31
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

U.S. aid to Palestinians

  • Nothing located as a distinct position at any date.

Characterization of the conflict

Related rhetoric and lobbying

  • [Trade, 2016-02-09] The Nebraska-beef release, verified; district color.
  • Tracked funding totals appear as a badge on this card.

Safety and antisemitism

  • [Position, 2020-01-10] The anti-antisemitism column, verified, including his argument that Israel "should not suffer the consequences of a bigoted campaign against its sovereignty".
  • [Action, 2024-06-13] The Ways and Means campus-antisemitism hearing, per the committee’s own recap; his November 2023 hearing participation is not on the card summary.

Race and status context

  • Sitting member, nominated. His Democratic challenger’s card carries its own record.

Also in this race

  1. – Becky Stille (Democrat)
  2. – Mark Cohen (Independent)
  3. – David J. Else (Other)
  4. – Macey Budke (Other)

All Nebraska 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.