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

Michael Lawler

Republican · U.S. House, New York District 17
✗Supported sending weapons or funding in 6 of 6 tracked votes

Lawler backs U.S. military aid to the government of Israel: after the April 2024 package passed he said allies "need our support now more than ever". He co-introduced bills to transfer bunker-buster bombs to the government of Israel and to bar U.S. funding for UN agencies enforcing its illegal expulsion.

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Deep Dive

Lawler represents New York's 17th District in the lower Hudson Valley. He is the sitting member and chairs the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa.

His support runs through votes, bills and his own words, all pointing the same way. When the House passed the April 2024 foreign aid package with roughly $26 billion in security assistance for the government of Israel, he said in a statement: "The foreign aid package that we passed by a broad bipartisan margin today reflects the strong support for confronting our enemies and defending our democratic allies overseas," adding, "Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan are facing existential threats from Iran, Russia, and China, and they need our support now more than ever." Two of his own sanctions bills, both targeting Iran's illicit oil trade, were folded into that package.

He has moved to send more, faster. In July 2025 he and Representative Josh Gottheimer introduced the Bunker Buster Act, which would authorize the President to transfer Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs, and the aircraft needed to deploy them, to the government of Israel, aimed at underground nuclear infrastructure in Iran. The same month he introduced a bill to narrow the congressional review timeline for arms transfers to countries normalizing relations with Israel.

On U.S. money through international bodies, he co-introduced the Stand with Israel Act in January 2026, which would bar U.S. funding for any United Nations agency that enforces an illegal expulsion of Israel. When the International Criminal Court sought arrest warrants against Israel's Prime Minister and Defense Minister in May 2024, he said: "There can be no moral equivalency here." In December 2025 he opened a subcommittee hearing titled "Understanding Judea and Samaria", saying the goal was "to ensure that American policy is rooted in facts, strengthen our relationship with Israel, and support long term stability and security across the Middle East."

Nothing located at any date has him addressing U.S. humanitarian aid for Palestinians as a question of its own; his October 2025 statement on the ceasefire says Hamas has brought "suffering to both Israelis and Palestinians alike".

The record

Supported sending weapons or funding in 6 of 6 tracked votes

Committees

House Committee on Foreign Affairs

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

• Voted for the April 2024 House foreign-aid package providing security assistance to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, and had two of his own Iran-focused sanctions bills included in the package: the Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum (SHIP) Act and the Iran-China Energy Sanctions Act, both aimed at cutting off Iranian funding of Hamas.

• Introduced the bipartisan Antisemitism Awareness Act (Oct. 26, 2023) requiring the Department of Education to use the IHRA working definition of antisemitism in enforcing federal anti-discrimination law; co-led with Sen. Tim Scott and Reps. Gottheimer, Miller, and Moskowitz.

• Introduced H.Res. 775 (Oct. 2023), a resolution condemning the New York City Democratic Socialists of America for a rally held after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

• Issued a statement (May 20, 2024) condemning as 'outrageous' the ICC prosecutor's request for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders, calling for 'unwavering' U.S. support for Israel.

• Introduced a bipartisan House resolution with Rep. Josh Gottheimer (June 2026) demanding Hezbollah disarm and cease all attacks on Israel, consistent with the U.S.-brokered Israel-Lebanon ceasefire.

• Co-led a bipartisan letter with Rep. Brad Sherman (July 2, 2026) urging President Trump to maintain the prohibition on selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, citing among other concerns Turkey's 'increasing anti-Israel rhetoric.'

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

$40K in lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track

Lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track
AIPAC PAC: $20,000 · Republican Jewish Coalition: $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.Republican Jewish Coalition$20,000The Republican Jewish Coalition's PAC; it financially supports Republican candidates who reflect its priorities, including strong U.S. backing of 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.
Endorsed by AIPAC +1 more
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.Republican Jewish CoalitionThe Republican Jewish Coalition's PAC; it financially supports Republican candidates who reflect its priorities, including strong U.S. backing of the government of Israel.These endorsements come from groups that back sending U.S. weapons and funding to the government of Israel.

In their words

“The foreign aid package that we passed by a broad bipartisan margin today reflects the strong support for confronting our enemies and defending our democratic allies overseas. Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan are facing existential threats from Iran, Russia, and China, and they need our support now more than ever.”
Source ↗, 2024-04-20
“There can be no moral equivalency here. Hamas is a terrorist organization that committed the worst mass murder of Jews in a single day since the Holocaust. Israel is the only multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-religious democracy in the Middle East. They are fighting to defend their homeland and rescue their people who were taken hostage by terrorists.”
Source ↗, 2024-05-20
“The United States must be unwavering in its support for Israel. As the leader of the free world, we have an obligation to stand by our ally in its time of need and call out the nefarious actions of those who seek to undermine them”
Source ↗, 2024-05-20
“The Trump Administration has made it a priority to work alongside Lebanon's government to ensure they are doing everything in their authority to disarm Hezbollah, and I commend this cooperation. And we should all reject any attempt by Iran or Hezbollah to undermine peace,”
Source ↗, 2026-06-23
“Ultimately, our goal is to ensure that American policy is rooted in facts, strengthen our relationship with Israel, and support long term stability and security across the Middle East.”
Source ↗, 2025-12-10
Endorsements

AIPAC (2026 endorsement) · Republican Jewish Coalition (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 the government of Israel

  • His recorded votes on the six tracked bills appear as badges on this card; all six are on the more-support side.
  • [Position, 2024-04-20] His House release on the April 2024 package, quoted on the card.
  • [Position, 2025-07-02] The Bunker Buster Act, co-introduced with Representative Josh Gottheimer, whose release as lead sponsor names him: authorize the President to transfer Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs and deployment aircraft to the government of Israel, targeted at Iran's underground nuclear infrastructure. Also reported by Jewish News Syndicate.
  • [Position, 2025-07-10] The Abraham Accords Defense Against Terror Act, per Jewish Insider: narrow the congressional review timeline for arms transfers to countries normalizing relations with Israel. Truthout's report characterizes such bills as gutting oversight of U.S. arms sales; that is the outlet's framing and is recorded here without being adopted.
  • [Race, 2026-07-17] His campaign called on Cait Conley, his Democratic opponent, to clarify her position on the $3.3 billion in military aid for Israel that a July 2026 House amendment sought to cut, per the campaign's own release and Monsey Scoop (2026-07-19). This is race rhetoric about his opponent, not a position of his own; his own vote on the amendment is a badge on this card.
  • [Position, 2026-06-23] A bipartisan resolution with Representative Josh Gottheimer demanding that Hezbollah disarm and cease all attacks, per his release.
  • [Position, 2026-07-02] A bipartisan letter he led with Representative Brad Sherman urging that F-35 sales to Turkey remain prohibited, citing among other things Turkey's "increasing anti-Israel rhetoric", per his release.
  • [Reaction window, 2023-11-11] He is reported to have questioned State and Defense officials at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing about whether U.S. aid to Gaza could be diverted by Hamas. The report is attributed to Forbes, but the only address on file is a YouTube page that was not watched, so nothing is quoted from it. Not on the card summary.

U.S. aid to Palestinians

  • Nothing located at any date addressing U.S. humanitarian funding for Palestinians, the aid pipeline, or the United Nations Relief and Works Agency as a question of its own. The reaction-window hearing item above concerned diversion of Gaza aid and is not on the card summary.

Characterization of the conflict

  • [Position, 2024-10-07] His Washington Reporter op-ed on the first anniversary, a page no longer online. The same phrase, "the worst mass murder of Jews in a single day since the Holocaust", is in his May 20, 2024 release, which also says "we have an obligation to stand by our ally in its time of need".
  • [Position, 2024-11-26] His release on the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire: Israel did "the world a great service in kneecapping a terrorist organization". Opens.
  • [Position, 2025-09-29] His release on the Gaza peace proposal: a "watershed moment for peace"; Hamas's refusal would see its "terror regime" "dismantled piece by piece". Opens.
  • [Position, 2025-10-08] His release on ceasefire reports: "For too long, Hamas has chosen terror over peace, bringing suffering to both Israelis and Palestinians alike". Opens; quoted on the card.
  • [Position, 2025-10-07] Two-year anniversary statement reaffirming Israel's right to self-defense, in his subcommittee chairman's role. Opens.
  • [Position, 2024-05-20] The ICC statement quoted on the card.
  • [Position, 2025-12-10] As chairman of the Middle East and North Africa subcommittee he opened a hearing on Judea and Samaria, titled "Understanding Judea and Samaria: Historical, Strategic, and Political Dynamics in U.S.–Israel Relations." His remarks: "Judea and Samaria remains central to decades of diplomatic debate, negotiations, and regional tension." They refer to "the Jordanian occupation from 1948 to 1967, including the displacement of Jewish communities during that period", and close: "Ultimately, our goal is to ensure that American policy is rooted in facts, strengthen our relationship with Israel, and support long term stability and security across the Middle East."

Related rhetoric and lobbying

  • [Reaction window, 2023-11-28] He authored House Resolution 888, reaffirming Israel's right to exist and recognizing that denying it constitutes antisemitism; passed the House, per News 12 Westchester, a page no longer online. Not on the card summary.
  • [Position, 2025-02-06] Co-introduced a resolution with Representative Jared Moskowitz affirming that "all options" should remain on the table to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran, per his release. About Iran, not about what the United States sends the government of Israel.
  • [Position, 2025-09-11] Addressed an American Jewish Committee event on the Abraham Accords' fifth anniversary; the only source is a YouTube page, not watched, so nothing is quoted from it.
  • [Position, 2026-01-12] The Stand with Israel Act co-introduction, on the card. Also reported by the Forward in its June 2026 race coverage.
  • [Position, 2026-01-20] He condemned as antisemitic an advertisement by the Institute for Middle East Understanding that attacked him for supporting U.S. aid to Israel: "This ad is a disgrace," he said, per Jewish Insider.
  • Tracked funding totals appear as a badge on this card.

Safety and antisemitism (context)

  • He authored the Antisemitism Awareness Act, requiring the Department of Education to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition when enforcing Title VI: introduced October 2023 (reaction window, not on the card summary), reintroduced 2025-02-05 per his release; described by IssueVoter's bill page and The Fulcrum.
  • [Position, 2025-09-16] Joint statement with Representative Gottheimer criticizing a New York City mayoral candidate's stance on the IHRA definition, per his release. A joint statement, stated as such.
  • [Position, 2026-05-13] He described antisemitic and homophobic slurs shouted at him in Washington and condemned them, per Courthouse News. Context only; not an answer to what the United States sends.

Race and status context

  • Sitting representative, the Republican general-election nominee (the primary was canceled; he advanced unopposed), in a seat that, JTA reported in June 2026, "is considered one of the most likely to flip in November".

Also in this race

  1. ✗ Cait Conley (Democrat)

All New York 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.