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

Lloyd Smucker

Republican · U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 11
✗Supported sending weapons or funding in 6 of 6 tracked votes

Smucker voted for the April 2024 military aid package for the government of Israel, saying "Supporting aid for Israel, Ukraine, and our allies in the Indo-Pacific advances American national security." His most recent statement found on the subject is from October 2024; his recorded votes run into 2026.

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Deep Dive

The fullest thing Smucker has said about what the United States sends came with a vote. On April 20, 2024 the House passed four national security bills, and he voted for all of them, among them the supplemental appropriation for the government of Israel. In the statement he released that day he called each of those votes vital to America's national security interests, said "Israel is defending itself after the horrific and barbaric attacks perpetrated by Hamas and now has been attacked by Iran, who continues to destabilize the region," and acknowledged that constituents had written to him on both sides of the question.

On money to Palestinians his position is set out on a page his House office still publishes. His "Standing with Israel" issues page says he co-sponsored and voted for the Taylor Force Act, which withholds United States economic aid from the Palestinian Authority until it certifies that it has stopped payments to people convicted of acts of terrorism. The same page says he co-sponsored the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, describes the alliance as an unbreakable bond, and records his 2017 congressional trip to Israel, which his office said was paid for by the American Israel Educational Foundation, the charitable affiliate of AIPAC, a pro-Israel lobbying organization that also spends in U.S. elections.

After a community event in York on the first anniversary of the October 7 attacks, he said, "We must continue to support our great ally, Israel. In Congress, my commitment to our nation's ally will not waver. I stand with Israel." That is the last statement of his own that turned up on the question.

His congressional newsroom, read from August 2026 back to September 2023, carries nothing on U.S. weapons or money for the government of Israel in 2025 or 2026, and his campaign site's issues page sets out budget, taxes, education, life, border security, agriculture, values, gun rights and energy without raising the subject. His recorded votes continue past his last statement. The rest of what was found, including his earlier statements about the alliance and his remarks on antisemitism, is on his research page.

The record

Supported sending weapons or funding in 6 of 6 tracked votes

Floor votes
H.R. 6126 - Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act2023-11-02 · Passed 226-196
✗ Voted Yes
supported sending it
H.R. 8034 - Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 20242024-04-20 · Passed 366-58
✗ Voted Yes
supported sending it
H.R. 8369 - Israel Security Assistance Support Act2024-05-16 · Passed 224-187
✗ Voted Yes
supported sending it
H.R. 7217 - Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 20242024-02-06 · Failed 250-180 (needed 2/3 under suspension)
✗ Voted Yes
supported sending it
H.Amdt. 55 to H.R. 4016 - strike $500M for Israeli Cooperative Programs2025-07-18 · Failed 6-422 (only 6 voted to cut)
✗ Voted No
voted against limiting it
H.R. 8595 - Massie amendment (Part A No. 8) to bar FY27 funds for Israel and cut $3.3B in Foreign Military Financing2026-07-15 · Failed 104-314
✗ Voted No
voted against limiting it
Bill sponsorship
H.R. 3565 - Block the Bombs ActWould bar transfer of 2,000-lb/BLU-109 bunker busters, JDAMs, 120mm tank rounds, and 155mm artillery shells to Israel. Does not affect Iron
Not sponsoringhas not backed this restriction bill
H.R. 1229 - United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025Formalizes/expands bilateral defense cooperation with Israel.
Not sponsoringhas not backed this support bill
Notable actions

• 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

$28K in lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track

Lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track
AIPAC PAC: $27,900
Support-only OpenFEC data (as of 2026-10-03). Opposition independent expenditures are excluded.
Who these lobbying groups are
AIPAC$27,900The American Israel Public Affairs Committee; its PAC backs candidates it sees as strengthening U.S. ties with the government of Israel, including continued U.S. military aid.Direct contributions and independent expenditures supporting this candidate from the five lobbying groups we track, every cycle each has filed, through 2026. Excludes earmarked and conduit contributions.
Endorsed by AIPAC
AIPACThe American Israel Public Affairs Committee; its PAC backs candidates it sees as strengthening U.S. ties with the government of Israel, including continued U.S. military aid.These endorsements come from groups that back sending U.S. weapons and funding to the government of Israel.

In their words

“Supporting aid for Israel, Ukraine, and our allies in the Indo-Pacific advances American national security.”
Source ↗, 2024-04-20
“Israel is defending itself after the horrific and barbaric attacks perpetrated by Hamas and now has been attacked by Iran, who continues to destabilize the region.”
Source ↗, 2024-04-20
“We must continue to support our great ally, Israel. In Congress, my commitment to our nation’s ally will not waver. I stand with Israel.”
Source ↗, 2024-10-08
Endorsements

AIPAC (2026 endorsement)

Research log

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

Lloyd Smucker has represented Pennsylvania's 11th district since 2019 and its predecessor, the 16th, from 2017. Every page cited below was opened and read on 2026-09-07 unless marked otherwise, and his congressional newsroom and In the News listings were paged through from August 2026 back to September 2023 and January 2017 respectively. His campaign site at electsmucker.com was read as well. Bands: Position (2024-01-26 onward), Reaction window (2023-10-07 to 2024-01-25), Earlier record (before 2023-10-07). This card replaces an older one-sentence summary of his record; everything below was checked again from the sources.

U.S. military aid and weapons to the government of Israel

  • [Position, 2024-04-20] His statement on voting for H.R. 8034, H.R. 8035, H.R. 8036 and H.R. 8038, the April 2024 national security package. "Each of these votes is vital to advance America's national security interests. By supporting our allies and developing democracies, we are building a safer world and pushing back against tyrannical regimes who wish to encroach on freedom across the globe." "Israel is defending itself after the horrific and barbaric attacks perpetrated by Hamas and now has been attacked by Iran, who continues to destabilize the region." "Supporting aid for Israel, Ukraine, and our allies in the Indo-Pacific advances American national security." He also wrote: "There are strong opinions about the direction America should take and about each of these pieces of legislation. I value the opinions of constituents who have reached out to share their thoughts."
  • [Position, 2018-09-21 page, still published] His House "Standing with Israel" issues page is dated September 21, 2018 in the page's own metadata and remains posted on his official site. It says: "Congressman Smucker is committed to strengthening the U.S. - Israel alliance and working with our ally to promote democracy, ensure our security, and protect the freedom of religion. The United States and Israel have an unbreakable bond rooted in shared values and interests." It also records his co-sponsorship and vote for the Iranian Ballistic Missiles and International Sanctions Enforcement Act (H.R. 1698), and a November 14, 2017 letter with 42 other members to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson asking for a Syria strategy that keeps Iran from a permanent foothold on Israel's and Jordan's borders. The Iran material is recorded here rather than on the card.
  • [Position, 2025 and 2026] Nothing located. His press release listing was paged from August 20, 2026 back to September 2023 and every title and summary read; no 2025 or 2026 item names Israel, Gaza, Hamas, the Palestinians or foreign military aid. His In the News listing was paged back to January 2017 with the same result for those years. His campaign site's issues page covers budget, inflation and taxes, education, life, security and border protection, agriculture, values, gun rights and energy, and does not mention Israel, Gaza or foreign aid.

U.S. aid to Palestinians

  • [Earlier record, 2017-12-05 vote, described on a 2018 page] The "Standing with Israel" page says he co-sponsored and voted for the Taylor Force Act (H.R. 1164) when it passed the House on December 5, 2017: "This legislation prohibits any United States economic aid from being transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) until the PA certifies that it is taking steps to end acts of violence against U.S. and Israeli citizens perpetrated by individuals under its jurisdictional control, such as the March 2016 attack that killed former Army officer Taylor Force. The PA must also certify that it has not made any payments to terrorists and their families."
  • No statement by him on humanitarian aid to Gaza, on UNRWA, or on the aid pipeline was located at any date.

Characterization of the conflict

  • [Earlier record, 2017-01-06] His statement on the House resolution objecting to the United Nations Security Council resolution on Israeli settlements, issued as the member for PA-16: "A strong and enduring partnership between the United States and Israel is critical to peace in the Middle East. The UN's condemnation of Israel was a direct result of the Obama administration's outrageous betrayal of a decades-old friendship. The action taken by the House was a necessary show of unity with the only freely-elected democracy in the region and the broad bipartisan support it received shows this adminisration is completely out of touch." (The misspelling is in his release.)
  • [Earlier record, 2017-08-15] His statement on returning from a congressional delegation trip to Israel: "As the only freely-elected democracy in the region, the American people view Israel as a kindred spirit. Our countries share a fundamental commitment to the rule of law and free peoples." He met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, said "The nation's security is far and away the most important issue facing its citizens and parliament," and, per his issues page, pressed the case for moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.
  • [Position, 2024-10-08] His statement after a York Jewish Community Center event marking one year since the October 7 attacks: "We must continue to support our great ally, Israel. In Congress, my commitment to our nation's ally will not waver. I stand with Israel. We must also stand united against the rampant growth of antisemitism and support our Jewish friends and neighbors."
  • [Reaction window, 2023-11-16] A press release describing his comments at two committee hearings held on November 14 and 15, 2023, posted on his House site. The dates fall in the weeks this site records here rather than on cards. The release is described under Safety below.
  • [Undated, unverified] A May 21, 2021 post attributed to his official Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/RepSmucker/posts/i-will-always-stand-with-our-ally-israel-and-its-right-to-defend-itself-i-hope-t/10158436267527815/, whose visible fragment begins "I will always stand with our...". The full text and the date could not be read without signing in, so the wording is not confirmed and is not used on the card. A person can open it and check.

Israel-related rhetoric and lobbying

  • [Earlier record, 2017-08-15] His own release on the Israel trip states: "The trip was sponsored by the American Israel Educational Foundation (AIEF), the charitable organization affiliated with AIPAC. The trip was paid for by AIEF, which is privately funded by American citizens. No funding comes from the American taxpayer or the Israeli government." AIPAC is a pro-Israel lobbying organization that also spends in U.S. elections; AIEF is its charitable affiliate, which runs congressional study trips.
  • [Earlier record, 2018-09-21 page, still published] The "Standing with Israel" page says he co-sponsored the Israel Anti-Boycott Act (H.R. 1697), which it describes as expanding "the scope of current U.S. anti-boycott laws to ensure that international organizations do not undermine the economic and national security of our ally Israel."

Safety and antisemitism (context, not an answer to what America sends)

  • [Position, 2024-05-01] He voted Yea on H.R. 6090, the Antisemitism Awareness Act, on May 1, 2024, roll call 172 of the 118th Congress. The bill directs the Department of Education to consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism in civil rights enforcement.
  • [Position, 2024-05-28] The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that at a congressional hearing Smucker criticized Rutgers University president Jonathan Holloway for "negotiating with a mob" on his campus.
  • [Reaction window, 2023-11-16] His release on the rise of antisemitism in education, covering his questions at an Education and the Workforce subcommittee hearing on November 14, 2023 and a Ways and Means Committee hearing on November 15, 2023, including a reference to antisemitic vandalism at Millersville University in Lancaster County. Recorded here, not on the card summary.
  • [Reaction window, 2023-12-08] An open letter signed by Smucker and five other Pennsylvania Republicans calling on the University of Pennsylvania's board to remove its president after her testimony on campus antisemitism, reported by Fox News and republished on his In the News page. Recorded here, not on the card summary.

Not on the card, and why

  • The November 2023 committee remarks and the December 2023 University of Pennsylvania letter: they fall in the weeks this site records here rather than on cards.
  • The antisemitism votes, hearings and remarks: context about safety at home, which does not answer what the United States sends.
  • The Iran material on his issues page and in his April 2024 statement: a different question from what the United States sends to the government of Israel, so it is recorded here.
  • A March 10, 2022 release that our research initially had down as an Israel item is about military aid to Ukraine and trade sanctions on Russia and says nothing about Israel. Not used.
  • An August 22, 2025 request that the IRS investigate the tax-exempt status of the Palestinian Youth Movement is Senator Tom Cotton's. The Jewish News Syndicate reported the letter and names Cotton as its author. It is not Smucker's and is not on this card.
  • A federal advocacy page at mabe.org that came up in the research names Smucker only as the sponsor of an unrelated workforce bill and as a member of the Education and the Workforce Committee. Nothing in scope.
  • The May 2021 Facebook post: the text could not be read, so it is listed above with its address rather than quoted.
  • The recorded vote rows and the funding total shown on this record: the card does not restate them in prose.

Sources retrieved for this card (address; opened or could not open; date)

  • https://smucker.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-smucker-supporting-aid-israel-ukraine-and-indo-pacific-advances-american (opened; 2026-09-07; dated April 20, 2024)
  • https://smucker.house.gov/issues/standing-israel (opened; 2026-09-07; page metadata dated September 21, 2018)
  • https://smucker.house.gov/media/press-releases/smucker-statement-congressional-delegation-trip-israel (opened; 2026-09-07; dated August 15, 2017)
  • https://smucker.house.gov/media/press-releases/smucker-statement-house-resolution-supporting-israel (opened; 2026-09-07; dated January 6, 2017)
  • https://smucker.house.gov/media/press-releases/smucker-joins-community-event-honoring-those-lost-attacks-october-7-2023 (opened; 2026-09-07; dated October 8, 2024)
  • https://smucker.house.gov/media/press-releases/smucker-comments-rise-antisemitism-education (opened; 2026-09-07; dated November 16, 2023)
  • https://smucker.house.gov/media/press-releases/smucker-supports-aid-ukraine-trade-sanctions-legislation (opened; 2026-09-07; dated March 10, 2022)
  • https://smucker.house.gov/media/press-releases (opened; 2026-09-07; paged from August 20, 2026 back to September 2023)
  • https://smucker.house.gov/media/in-the-news (opened; 2026-09-07; paged from March 2026 back to January 2017)
  • https://smucker.house.gov/media/in-the-news/pa-reps-demand-upenn-fire-president-after-antisemitism-testimony-utter-disgrace (opened; 2026-09-07; dated December 8, 2023)
  • https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2024/roll172.xml (opened; 2026-09-07; roll call of May 1, 2024)
  • https://www.inquirer.com/politics/nation/antisemitism-israel-hamas-college-protests-20240528.html (opened; 2026-09-07; published May 28, 2024)
  • https://www.electsmucker.com/ and https://www.electsmucker.com/issues (opened; 2026-09-07)
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Smucker (opened; 2026-09-07; background only)
  • https://ballotpedia.org/Lloyd_Smucker (opened; 2026-09-07; background and the campaign site address)
  • https://www.jns.org/cotton-calls-on-irs-to-investigate-palestinian-youth-movements-funding/ (opened; 2026-09-07; published August 25, 2025, on Senator Cotton's letter)
  • https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-to-irs-investigate-palestinian-youth-movements-funding-and-ties-to-terrorism (could not open; 2026-09-07; refused)
  • https://www.mabe.org/advocacy/federal-advocacy-center/ (opened; 2026-09-07; nothing in scope)
  • https://www.facebook.com/RepSmucker/posts/i-will-always-stand-with-our-ally-israel-and-its-right-to-defend-itself-i-hope-t/10158436267527815/ (opened, text not readable without signing in; 2026-09-07)
  • https://smuckerforcongress.com/ (opened; 2026-09-07; redirects to a placeholder, not his campaign site)
  • This is a record of what was checked on 2026-09-07, not a claim that no other statement exists.

Also in this race

  1. ? Nancy Mannion (Democrat)

All Pennsylvania 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.