But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Gregory W. Meeks
- Backed with $38K by PACs we track that support U.S. weapons funding for the government of Israel (lifetime)
- Endorsed by AIPAC +1 more
- Sits on House Foreign Affairs
Meeks, the ranking Democrat on House Foreign Affairs, held up an $18 billion arms package to Israel in 2024 seeking assurances on civilian casualties, then approved it in June. He has since attacked the administration for bypassing congressional review of arms sales.
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You asked Gregory W. Meeks where they stand.
Deep Dive
Meeks represents New York’s 5th District and is the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which gives him a procedural lever on arms sales that almost no other candidate among the candidates on this site has: informal holds during congressional review.
He used it. In April 2024 he said publicly that he was withholding approval on an $18 billion package including 50 F-15 fighter jets and precision guidance kits until the administration assured him the weapons would not cause further civilian casualties or impede humanitarian aid in Gaza. On June 17, 2024 he lifted the hold and approved the transfer.
Since then his public interventions have been about process rather than quantity. He has criticised the current administration three times for going around congressional review: a $7 billion sale in February 2025, more than $6 billion in January 2026, and the use of emergency authority under the Arms Export Control Act in March 2026. Each time he reaffirmed his support for Israel’s defense while calling the bypass a repudiation of congressional oversight.
In June 2026 he was among the senior House Democrats who opposed the Massie amendment cutting military financing. His recorded votes on the tracked bills are shown separately on this card.
The record
Supported sending weapons or funding in 3 of 6 tracked votes
House Committee on Foreign Affairs
• 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.
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Voted to send weapons or funding in exactly half of their recorded tracked votes. The tie is broken by money this election cycle from a lobbying group we track and an endorsement from a group that backs sending weapons. (Supported sending weapons or funding in 3 of 6 tracked votes.)
The money
$38K 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
- 2024-04-11 [Current position]: On CNN and NBC’s Meet the Press NOW he said he was withholding approval on an $18 billion arms package to Israel, including 50 F-15 fighter jets and precision guidance kits, until the administration assured him the weapons would not cause further civilian casualties or impede humanitarian aid in Gaza. The source for the broadcast is a video that does not name him in the text we could read.
- 2024-06-17 [Current position]: Lifted the hold and approved the transfer after sustained administration pressure. Both halves are on the card: a hold that is lifted is a different fact from a hold.
- 2025-02-07 [Current position]: Statement criticising the administration for bypassing standard congressional review to notify a $7 billion arms sale, calling it a repudiation of congressional oversight while reaffirming support for Israel’s defense needs.
- 2026-01-30 [Current position]: Statement condemning the bypass of Congress on more than $6 billion in arms sales, again pairing the oversight objection with support for Israel’s military security.
- 2026-03-06 [Current position]: Statement on the administration’s use of emergency authority under the Arms Export Control Act to approve further sales. An initial search did not capture a distinct url for this item.
- 2026-06 [Current position]: Among the senior House Democrats opposing the Massie amendment to cut military financing to Israel.
Characterization of the conflict
- Undated [Current position]: Urged Hamas to accept an agreement with Israel; a statement on an Israeli decision; and floor remarks. An initial search extracted no dated claim from these.
- Undated: Critical coverage of his record in Middle East Eye and The New Arab. Advocacy-leaning outlets, retained as a source an initial search consulted.
Rhetoric and lobbying
- Undated: A bipartisan bill introduced with Rep. Mast; an initial search extracted no in-scope claim.
Safety and antisemitism (context)
What came back empty or unusable
- No statement located on U.S. aid to Palestinians or UNRWA as a budget line, as distinct from his repeated insistence on humanitarian access.
- One source found is an unrelated local news homepage carrying nothing about him.
- The March 2026 emergency-authority statement has no captured url.
Also in this race
- –No Position Found George Marsh (Republican)
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