But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Ritchie Torres
- Backed with $96K by PACs we track that support U.S. weapons funding for the government of Israel (lifetime)
- Endorsed by AIPAC +1 more
Torres urged the White House to speed up bomb deliveries to Israel and, when shipments of 2,000-pound bombs were paused over Rafah, backed a resolution to override it. He argues suspending U.S. military aid would mean siding with Hamas.
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You asked Ritchie Torres where they stand.
Deep Dive
Torres represents New York’s 15th District in the South Bronx and is running for re-election. He is among the most consistently pro-Israel Democrats in the House and his record is unusually easy to state.
An investigation published in August 2025, read in full, records that he urged the White House to speed up bomb deliveries to Israel, that he became one of the most outspoken Democrats demanding uninterrupted arms shipments, that he backed the weapons package Congress passed in April 2024, and that he has consistently opposed Democratic calls for a ceasefire on the argument that any suspension of U.S. military aid would amount to siding with Hamas.
The same investigation records that when the administration briefly paused shipments of 2,000-pound bombs in May 2024, out of concern they would be used in attacks on Rafah, he "lashed out at the decision and even joined Republicans in backing a resolution to override it", and that he voted for the $17 billion weapons package that passed Congress in April 2024.
The same investigation reports that he disclosed stock purchases made in September 2024 in Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and L3Harris, three of the largest U.S. weapons companies supplying Israel’s military, and that the trades were not reported until nearly a year later, well past the 45-day deadline. His office has said the trades were executed by an independent financial manager without his direct oversight. That is a disclosure question rather than a position, and it is on the research page with his office’s response.
His position is not uncomplicated. In July 2025 he said Prime Minister Netanyahu had done irreparable damage to the relationship between Israel and the Democratic Party, and called for an end to the war, the release of the hostages, increased humanitarian assistance and new Palestinian self-governance. He has separately criticized UNRWA, alleging an improper relationship between the agency and Hamas. His recorded votes on the tracked bills and his funding from pro-Israel committees are shown separately on this card.
The record
Supported sending weapons or funding in 5 of 6 tracked votes
• 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 5 of 6 tracked votes.)
The money
$96K in lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track
In their words
AIPAC (2026 endorsement) · DMFI PAC (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
- 2025-08-25 [Current position; VERIFIED]: An investigation by Sludge, read in full: "While urging the White House to speed up bomb deliveries to Israel, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) was also adding defense contractors like Lockheed and Northrop to his portfolio. In the months after Israel's assault on Gaza began, Torres became one of the most outspoken Democrats in Washington demanding uninterrupted arms shipments". It further records that he backed the multibillion-dollar weapons package that passed Congress in April 2024 and "has consistently opposed Democratic calls for a ceasefire, arguing that any suspension of U.S. military aid would amount to siding with Hamas". The card carries the substance without quotation marks because these are the paper's summaries of his position rather than his own words.
- 2024-05 [Current position; VERIFIED 2026-08-11 ON A SECOND CHECK]: From the same investigation, verbatim: "When Biden briefly paused shipments of 2,000-pound bombs in May 2024 out of concern they would be used in attacks on Rafah, Torres lashed out at the decision and even joined Republicans in backing a resolution to override it." It also gives the April 2024 package as "$17 billion".
⚠ An earlier check reported this item as not located on the page. That was a fault in how we read the page, not the page’s fault. Corrected, and the detail is now on the card because it is the most specific thing on the record.
- 2023-10 [Months after October 7, 2023; on this page only]: An initial search reports he signed a joint letter to President Biden opposing calls for de-escalation and urging an increase in U.S. weapons transfers to Israel. His statement of that period is among the sources.
- 2024-11-12 [Current position]: An initial search reports a video statement arguing that support for Israel aligns with progressive values.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
- 2024-02-26 [Current position; ADVOCACY SOURCE, cannot carry a card]: At a summit he criticized UNRWA, alleging an "incestuous relationship" between the agency and Hamas. The only source page is UN Watch, an advocacy organisation, and the event is titled as a summit for a future beyond UNRWA. Advocacy sources stay visible here as sources an initial search consulted, and never carry a card. This is a real in-scope position and it is not on the card summary for sourcing reasons only.
- 2025-07-28 [Current position]: In an interview he called for an end to the war in Gaza, release of the hostages, increased humanitarian assistance and new Palestinian self-governance. Also covered by The New Republic. Not opened.
- 2024-04-04 [Current position]: An initial search reports he attributed the humanitarian crisis and food shortages in Gaza to Hamas interfering with aid distribution.
Characterization of the conflict
- 2025-07-28 [Current position]: He said Netanyahu had caused "irreparable damage" to the relationship between Israel and the Democratic Party through partisan manoeuvring dating to 2016 (Jewish Insider, The New Republic).
- 2024-02-26 [Current position]: He characterized the October 7 attacks as a "crime against humanity" and said Israel has an absolute right of self-defence comparable to the U.S. response to 9/11. Advocacy source page as above.
- 2024-04-04 [Current position]: He rejected claims that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza.
- 2023-10-07 [Months after October 7, 2023]: He condemned the attacks as an unprovoked terrorist invasion and a declaration of war.
- 2024-04-11 [Current position]: The Times of Israel on how his activism plays at home and in Israel.
- 2025-12-01 [Current position]: The Guardian on his position within the party.
Rhetoric and lobbying
- 2025-04-28 [Current position]: At the American Jewish Committee Global Forum he said narratives placing sole responsibility on Israel for the absence of regional peace were a "lie of omission" by media outlets (AJC). An advocacy host; recorded as consulted.
- 2026-07-01 [Current position]: City & State on how he survived a difficult primary cycle as a committed supporter of Israel.
- Undated: An AJC video with no retrievable text.
Disclosure question, recorded because it concerns these weapons
- 2025-08-25 [VERIFIED]: The same Sludge investigation reports that "he disclosed stock purchases made in September 2024 in Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and L3Harris, three of the largest U.S. weapons companies supplying Israel's military", and that "The trades were not reported until nearly a year later, far past the 45-day deadline". An initial search records his office saying the trades were executed by an independent financial manager without his direct oversight. Kept out of the card summary because it is not a position on what the United States sends, and kept here in full because it concerns the same weapons he was urging the administration to deliver faster. It is reported with his office's response attached, not as an accusation.
- 2024-11 [Current position]: The same investigation notes that after the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, he voted with Republicans to sanction the court.
Safety and antisemitism
[Context only, never the answer to what America sends. Campus antisemitism is named out of scope by the content rule and a large share of his record here is that.]
- 2022-09-17 [Earlier record]: He asked the FBI and Attorney General to investigate New York City's handling of anti-Jewish hate crimes.
- 2022-10-03 [Earlier record]: At a congressional field hearing he argued for expanding the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to protect synagogues and Jewish day schools.
- 2023-10-27 [Months after October 7, 2023]: He wrote to the Education Secretary demanding a federal plan on campus antisemitism. A related statement is among the sources.
- 2024-04-29 [Current position; out of scope]: He introduced the COLUMBIA Act to place third-party federal antisemitism monitors at federally funded colleges (coverage).
- 2024-08-27 [Current position; out of scope]: He urged New York universities to treat "Zionist" as a code word when used to target Jewish students (Jewish Insider).
What came back empty or unusable
- Four sources found are YouTube or Facebook video urls with no retrievable text.
- Three source pages are advocacy organisations (UN Watch, AJC twice), which are visible here and never carry a card. One of them is the sole source page for his UNRWA position, which is genuinely in scope.
Also in this race
- –No Position Found Stylo Sapaskis (Republican)
- –Research Underway Andre Easton (Other)
- –Research Underway Gonzalo Duran (Other)
- –Research Underway Jose Vega (Other)
All New York candidates.
See everyone on the New York 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.