Jeffrey Alan Merkley
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), the incumbent seeking re-election in 2026 and a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is one of the Senate's most consistent voices for conditioning and blocking U.S. offensive arms to the government of Israel. He voted 'Yea' (to block/disapprove the sale) on all nine Joint Resolutions of Disapproval brought to the floor from November 2024 through April 2026: the three Sanders resolutions of Nov. 20, 2024 (S.J.Res.111, 113, 115), the two of April 3, 2025 (S.J.Res.33, 26), the two of July 30, 2025 (S.J.Res.41, 34), and the two of April 15, 2026 (S.J.Res.32, 138). He co-sponsored Sanders' JRDs in November 2024 and again in March 2026. He was the first senator to call for a lasting ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, and in September 2025 he introduced the first-ever U.S. Senate resolution formally calling for U.S. recognition of a Palestinian state. Merkley frames his position as ending U.S. complicity in the Netanyahu government's conduct of the war and opposing offensive weapons transfers, while affirming Israel's right to security. His votes have consistently diverged from his Oregon Democratic colleague Ron Wyden, who voted 'Nay' on the disapproval resolutions until also voting 'Yea' in April 2026.
Tracked votes: backed sending weapons or funding in 9 of 10 recorded votes.
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 is sourced. Open the interactive card for votes, funding and contact details.