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 R. Turner
- Backed with $18K by PACs we track that support U.S. weapons funding for the government of Israel (lifetime)
- Endorsed by AIPAC
- Sits on House Armed Services
Turner, who chaired the House Intelligence Committee, has argued for sustaining U.S. defence support for allies including Israel, and credited the January 2025 hostage deal to "peace through strength." No statement of his on conditioning U.S. transfers was located.
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Deep Dive
Turner has represented Ohio's 10th District since 2003 and chaired the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Most of his record on this question is broadcast interviews rather than written statements, and it is about deterrence and intelligence rather than about the terms of U.S. assistance. At an Atlantic Council event in October 2024 he argued that U.S. defence posture must be sustained to support allies including Israel. His remarks on Bloomberg in April 2024 backing the national security supplemental, and on Face the Nation in March 2026 on the threat from Iran, are broadcasts with no page we can send you to, so they sit on the research page instead.
His January 2025 statement on the hostage deal, issued as committee chairman, called it "a significant breakthrough that will hopefully reunite hostages with their loved ones after 15 months of unimaginable hardship in captivity," and said it "would not have been possible without President-elect Trump's steadfast commitment to his foreign policy principle of 'peace through strength.'"
His recorded votes appear as badges on this card.
The record
Supported sending weapons or funding in 6 of 6 tracked votes
House Committee on Armed Services
• 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.
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
$18K in lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track
In their words
AIPAC (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
- **No statement located** in which he addresses conditioning, withholding or restricting U.S. transfers to Israel.
- [Position, 2024-04-18, reported] On Bloomberg, advocated immediate passage of the national security supplemental providing assistance to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. Source is a broadcast; not readable.
- [Position, 2024-10-31] Atlantic Council event write-up, opened. Per the research he stressed sustaining U.S. defence posture and capability to support allies including Israel. The page as opened is heavy with site navigation and no verbatim span about Israel was extracted, so nothing is quoted from it.
- [Position, 2026-03-01, reported] On Face the Nation, said Iran "remained a threat" to both the United States and Israel. Broadcast source; not readable.
- His recorded votes appear as badges on this card.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
- No statement located on U.S. humanitarian aid to Palestinians.
- [After October 7, 2023-12-03, reported] Said the United States was selective in sharing target information with Israel to help minimise civilian deaths in Gaza (Washington Times). From the weeks right after October 7; about intelligence sharing rather than aid. Not opened.
Characterization of the conflict
- [Position, 2025-01-15] His statement as Intelligence Committee chairman on the hostage deal, opened and confirmed word for word: "Today's announcement of a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas marks a significant breakthrough that will hopefully reunite hostages with their loved ones after 15 months of unimaginable hardship in captivity." And: "This agreement would not have been possible without President-elect Trump's steadfast commitment to his foreign policy principle of 'peace through strength.'"
- [After October 7, 2023-11-19] Face the Nation transcript, opened and confirmed word for word, including its spoken repetition: "You know, the Palestinians in Gaza are just as much a prisoner, and certainly victims of Hamas, as- as we're seeing with the effects on Israel." Quoted elsewhere with an ellipsis at that repetition rather than smoothed into fluent prose. From the weeks right after October 7, so research page only. Notable as a distinction between Hamas and Gaza's civilians drawn early and by a Republican committee chairman.
- [After October 7, 2023-10-11, reported] On MSNBC, said "Hamas is a franchise of Iran." From the weeks right after October 7; broadcast source.
- [Position, 2025-02-05, reported] On MSNBC, voiced great concerns, as reported, about proposals for a U.S. takeover or administration of the Gaza Strip and expected minimal congressional support. Broadcast source; not readable.
- [After October 7, 2023-11-26] Reported concern about the lack of American hostages released, and Washington Times coverage. From the weeks right after October 7.
Related rhetoric and lobbying
- [Prior, 2023-05-22, reported] Authored an op-ed, "U.S. alliance with Israel is an alliance for peace." Before 2023-10-07, so prior band, and no source was located.
Safety and antisemitism (context)
- [Prior, 2019-04-01] Co-signed a bipartisan letter to the Attorney General on antisemitic hate crimes. **The research's source is Rep. Troy Balderson's release**, another member's page for the same letter; see oh12-balderson, who led it. Group letter, prior band, safety context.
- [2024-03-06 and 2024-03-20] A Weitzman Museum page and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz's release were returned among his sources. Both are other organisations' or other members' pages; nothing about him is drawn from either.
⚠ Note on the sources
- Of seventeen sources, **eight are unlabelled YouTube videos** and one resolves to nothing. Two more belong to other members and one to a museum. Most of his located positions are broadcast remarks with no readable transcript, which is why a long-serving committee chairman ends up with a card resting on one press release and one transcript.
Also in this race
- –No Position Found Kristina Knickerbocker (Democrat)
- –Research Underway Thomas McMasters (Libertarian)
All Ohio candidates.
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