But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Ralph Ambrosio
Republican · U.S. House, New York District 20
✗Supports
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.
Two reviewers, reading the public record as a whole, agree: His campaign release condemns the incumbent's vote against the Israel security supplemental and rejects conditions on that funding. Reviewed by hand on 2026-10-01. This candidate has no recorded tracked floor votes.
The email has replies@butwhatcanyoudo.org in cc, so we can post their answer on their page in their own words; remove it if you prefer. Keep the subject line as it is, add your name, and send.
Ambrosio is the Republican and Conservative Party candidate in New York’s 20th District, a Navy veteran and former New York State Police officer and Assistant Attorney General.
His position is set out in a July 16, 2026 release on his campaign site, headed "Ralph Ambrosio Condemns Paul Tonko’s Vote Against Israeli Aid and Dangerous Rhetoric". It condemns the incumbent's vote against the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, and in the campaign's own words calls the decision to withhold security assistance from Israel a betrayal of American values. In his quoted words: "Paul Tonko’s vote against Israeli aid is more than just a policy disagreement; it is a failure of moral clarity," and "To couple essential security funding with demands that undermine an ally's right to defend itself is unacceptable." Later in the release he says: "New York needs a representative who understands that the U.S.-Israel relationship is non-negotiable." He also says that describing Israel's actions in Gaza as genocidal is "rhetoric that mirrors antisemitic tropes".
The direction is continued U.S. security assistance to the government of Israel, without conditions he says would undermine its right to defend itself. Nothing located from him addresses U.S. aid to Palestinians. He has no voting record; he has not held federal office.
The money
Checked the five lobbying groups we track; no direct 2026 support found
2026 support from the five lobbying groups we track
Nothing recorded (as of 2026-07-23) from the five lobbying groups we track; earlier cycles and earmarked donations not yet tracked.
Support-only OpenFEC data. Opposition independent expenditures are excluded.
In their words
“Paul Tonko’s vote against Israeli aid is more than just a policy disagreement; it is a failure of moral clarity”
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
2026-07-16 [Current position]: A release on the press room page of his campaign site, "Ralph Ambrosio Condemns Paul Tonko’s Vote Against Israeli Aid and Dangerous Rhetoric", datelined ALBANY, NY, July 16, 2026. In the campaign's own voice, it says he "today issued a scathing condemnation of Representative Paul Tonko’s recent vote against the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act" and that Tonko's decision to withhold critical security assistance from Israel "is a betrayal of American values and a reckless abandonment of our most vital ally in the Middle East". In his quoted words: "Paul Tonko’s vote against Israeli aid is more than just a policy disagreement; it is a failure of moral clarity," and "To couple essential security funding with demands that undermine an ally's right to defend itself is unacceptable." Later: "In Washington, leadership requires integrity and the courage to stand with our friends when they are under attack," and "New York needs a representative who understands that the U.S.-Israel relationship is non-negotiable." Direction: he supports continued U.S. security assistance to the government of Israel and opposes conditions that, in his words, undermine its right to defend itself.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
Nothing located, in either direction.
Characterization of the conflict
2026-07-16 [Current position]: In the same release he calls it "rhetoric that mirrors antisemitic tropes by characterizing Israel’s defensive actions as genocidal", and the campaign's text says Israel "continues to face existential threats".
Rhetoric and lobbying
2026-07-16 [Current position]: The release says Tonko's actions "suggest a willingness to prioritize political posturing over the actual safety and security of democratic nations", and describes his platform as including "a foreign policy rooted in strength and loyalty to American allies".
Safety and antisemitism
2026-07-16 [Current position; context only, never the answer to what America sends]: In the release he says such rhetoric "is beneath the dignity of the office" and that "Such language only serves to inflame tensions and empower those who seek the destruction of the Jewish state."
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.