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

Joseph Chou

Republican · U.S. House, New York District 6
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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.

Two reviewers, reading the public record as a whole, agree: Answering a voter-guide question, he calls Israel "Our ally in the Middle East" and says it "has survived persecution and annihilation without provocation", without saying where he stands on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. Reviewed by hand on 2026-10-09. This candidate has no recorded tracked floor votes.

Chou has not spoken publicly on U.S. weapons or money for the government of Israel, or on U.S. aid to Palestinians. No statement was found in source-checked research across 5 sources.

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Deep Dive

5 sources checked and read, every one listed on the research page. Most candidates at this level have simply never been asked.

You are better placed to change that than we are. Ask Chou directly, or at a candidate forum, and send us the reply: it goes on this page in their own words, which is worth more than anything we could write about them.

Research log

The notes behind this card: what we looked at, what we found, and where each item came from.

What was looked for, and what came back

  • **U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel:** In a candidate questionnaire for *iVoterGuide*, Joseph Chou noted regarding U.S. foreign policy that American involvement is appropriate when foreign conflicts affect "national, regional stability...
  • **Characterization of the conflict:** Beyond referencing Israel in relation to regional stability and U.S. security interests in his *iVoterGuide* survey response, Joseph Chou has not made public statements or published positions characterizing the broader Israel/Palestine conflict.
  • **Rhetoric and lobbying:** There are no recorded public statements or actions by Joseph Chou regarding Israel-related lobbying or political rhetoric.
  • **Safety and antisemitism:** On his official campaign website and campaign materials, Joseph Chou emphasizes community safety, diversity, and public security as primary platform priorities.

Sources consulted and read (5)

Not found

  • No position located on U.S. weapons, arms sales or military funding for the government of Israel.
  • No position located on U.S. aid to Palestinians, UNRWA or Gaza humanitarian funding.
  • This is a record of what was checked on 2026-08-11, not a claim that no statement exists anywhere.

Also in this race

  1. ✗ Grace Meng (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.