Cait Conley
Conley supports continuing U.S. aid to Israel with accountability, and distanced herself from a Senate move to block specific weapons sales, saying lawmakers should not decide "which specific systems should be provided to allies". She backs a two-state solution.
Conley is an Army combat veteran, a West Point graduate and a former Director for Counterterrorism on the National Security Council. She won the Democratic primary in New York’s 17th District on June 23, 2026 and faces the Republican incumbent, Mike Lawler.
Her position is about who decides. At a Jewish Democratic Council of America forum in April 2026, read in full, she distanced herself from a Senate Democratic resolution to block particular weapons sales to Israel. She said she does not believe lawmakers should be trying to determine which specific systems should be provided to allies, and argued the United States must keep enforcing global standards so that all aid recipients meet U.S. standards. Her words: "It’s more important than ever that we understand what is happening with our tax dollars, what aid is being used for, and ensuring that it’s truly making Americans, Israelis, Palestinians and everyone in the region more safe." She also objected to encroaching "upon the process that was designed where informed professionals are shaping what those packages are. There is a politicization of security that I do not believe is good for America’s national security or global stability."
So she supports the aid continuing and wants oversight of how it is used, and she would leave the composition of packages to professionals rather than to floor votes on individual systems.
On the conflict she has endorsed a two-state solution twice, describing it in April 2026 as "the only viable long-term path to ensure Israel remains a secure, democratic Jewish state while Palestinians achieve legitimate aspirations for self-determination". Reporting on her primary win recorded that she supports the U.S. alliance with Israel while opposing the policies of the Netanyahu government. Her funding from a pro-Israel committee is shown separately on this card.
Research
U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel
- 2026-04-23 [Current position; card-leading; VERIFIED]: At the Jewish Democratic Council of America forum, per Jewish Insider of 2026-04-24: she "doesn't believe that lawmakers should be trying to determine which specific systems should be provided to allies, but she also argued that the U.S. must continue to enforce global standards to ensure that all aid recipients are meeting U.S. standards". Her quoted words: "It's more important than ever that we understand what is happening with our tax dollars, what aid is being used for, and ensuring that it's truly making Americans, Israelis, Palestinians and everyone in the region more safe." Read on the page.
⚠ **READING THE PAGE ADDED AN ARGUMENT THE FIRST SEARCH MISSED**, and it is the reasoning behind her position: she objected to encroaching "upon the process that was designed where informed professionals are shaping what those packages are. There is a politicization of security that I do not believe is good for America's national security or global stability." The first search also described the venue as a Jewish community forum; the report names it as the Jewish Democratic Council of America forum.
- 2026-01-13 [Current position]: At a candidate forum at the Nyack Center she answered on U.S. military aid to Israel, expressing support for continuing aid while stressing accountability. The source page is a local Substack report of 2026-01-16. Not opened.
- 2026-04-30 [Current position]: Local coverage of the same forum series.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
- Nothing located as a distinct funding position. Her accountability argument names Palestinians among those the aid should be making safer, which is a standard for existing aid rather than a position on U.S. humanitarian money.
Characterization of the conflict
- 2026-01-13 [Current position]: She endorsed a two-state solution at the Nyack forum.
- 2026-04-23 [Current position]: She described a two-state solution as "the only viable long-term path to ensure Israel remains a secure, democratic Jewish state while Palestinians achieve legitimate aspirations for self-determination".
- 2026-06-23 [Current position]: JTA reporting on the primary recorded that she maintains support for the U.S. alliance with Israel while opposing the policies and actions of the Netanyahu government.
Rhetoric and lobbying
- The first search’s own verdict: no personal statements or actions regarding lobbying groups or rhetoric surrounding Israel.
- A Jewish Democratic Council of America endorsements page and a Leadership Now Project candidate page of 2026-04-23 are among the sources. Advocacy and endorsement pages, recorded as consulted; they never carry a card.
Safety and antisemitism
[Context only, never the answer to what America sends.]
- 2026-04-23 [Current position]: At the same forum she described her work at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency coordinating support teams sent to faith-based institutions to improve physical and cyber security.
- 2026-04-23 [Current position]: She condemned federal spending cuts to civil rights and security programmes and pledged to restore and expand funding, including at the Departments of Education and Homeland Security, to protect Jewish institutions and combat antisemitism.
What came back empty or unusable
- Nothing unusable. Eight sources, all of which opened, two of them the same Jewish Insider report.
- No position located on U.S. aid to Palestinians as a funding question.
Also in this race: Michael Lawler (Republican) · All New York candidates.
See the full record →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 the interactive card for votes, funding and contact details.