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

Summer L. Lee

Democrat · U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 12
✓Supported sending weapons or funding in 0 of 6 tracked votes

Lee has called for an arms embargo on U.S. weapons to Israel: "our military funding and political cover have enabled devastating violence," and Congress "must support an arms embargo to prevent further atrocities." She co-introduced the Block the Bombs Act.

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Deep Dive

Lee has represented Pennsylvania's 12th District, centred on Pittsburgh, since 2023, and her voting record on the measures tracked here runs against U.S. military assistance to Israel.

Her January 2025 statement on the ceasefire sets out the position and the reasoning together: "Our military funding and political cover have enabled devastating violence and the erasure of Palestinian lives and rights. The Biden administration—and Congress—must support an arms embargo to prevent further atrocities, hold those responsible for war crimes accountable, and immediately facilitate rebuilding efforts in Gaza."

She named what she thinks a settlement requires: "The path to a just and lasting peace is clear: an end to the occupation, the blockade of Gaza, and the apartheid policies that deny Palestinians their basic rights. We must fully support Palestinian self-determination and liberation, as justice for Palestinians is inseparable from lasting peace for both Palestinians and Israelis."

In June 2025 she was among 22 members introducing the Block the Bombs Act, which the release describes as withholding "the transfer of offensive weapons to Israel" and demanding compliance with U.S. and international law.

In December 2024 she co-led a letter with Rep. Greg Casar, signed by 20 House progressives, urging the administration to suspend offensive weapons transfers. In June 2026 she urged Congress to pass the Lebanon War Powers Resolution.

Her recorded votes appear as badges on this card and are consistent with all of it.

The record

Supported sending weapons or funding in 0 of 6 tracked votes · Cosponsors the Block the Bombs Act

Floor votes
H.R. 6126 - Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act2023-11-02 · Passed 226-196
✓ Voted No
voted against sending it
H.R. 8034 - Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 20242024-04-20 · Passed 366-58
✓ Voted No
voted against sending it
H.R. 8369 - Israel Security Assistance Support Act2024-05-16 · Passed 224-187
✓ Voted No
voted against sending it
H.R. 7217 - Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 20242024-02-06 · Failed 250-180 (needed 2/3 under suspension)
✓ Voted No
voted against 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 Yes
voted to limit or block 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 Yes
voted to limit or block 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
Co-sponsorbacks this bill to restrict weapons transfers
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 against sending weapons or funding in every recorded tracked vote. (Supported sending weapons or funding in 0 of 6 tracked votes.)

The money

Targeted with $3.3M by PACs we track that support U.S. weapons funding for the government of Israel (2022); no direct 2026 support from them

2026 support from the five lobbying groups we track
Nothing recorded (as of 2026-07-23) from the five lobbying groups we track; earlier cycles and earmarked donations not yet tracked.
Support-only OpenFEC data. Opposition independent expenditures are excluded.
Money spent against them
Independent expenditures opposing this candidate: advertising and other spending made to defeat them, without the candidate's involvement or consent. United Democracy Project reported 20 independent expenditures opposing this candidate, 2022-04-22 to 2022-11-07, totalling $3.3M. This counts only the five lobbying groups we track, so it is a floor on what was spent against this candidate, not a total. Each expenditure is counted because the committee itself named this candidate as the target on its FEC filing. These lobbying groups often spend along party lines, or to protect an incumbent they back, so this is not by itself a reading of the candidate's position.
✓ Endorsed by Peace Action +2 more
Peace ActionA national peace and disarmament group. Its endorsements cover war, Pentagon spending and diplomacy broadly, not only U.S. weapons for the government of Israel.A New Policy PACA group backing congressional candidates who want a new U.S. policy toward Israel and Palestine grounded in U.S. and international law, including conditions on military aid.Track AIPACA watchdog on AIPAC-linked money. It backs candidates who reject AIPAC support and call for an arms embargo and conditions on aid to the government of Israel.These endorsements come from groups that push to restrict or end U.S. weapons transfers to the government of Israel. Endorsements from these groups are shown for information; they do not decide the mark.

In their words

“Our military funding and political cover have enabled devastating violence and the erasure of Palestinian lives and rights. The Biden administration—and Congress—must support an arms embargo to prevent further atrocities, hold those responsible for war crimes accountable, and immediately facilitate rebuilding efforts in Gaza.”
Source ↗, 2025-01-17
“The path to a just and lasting peace is clear: an end to the occupation, the blockade of Gaza, and the apartheid policies that deny Palestinians their basic rights.”
Source ↗, 2025-01-17
Endorsements

Peace Action (2026 endorsement) · A New Policy PAC (2026 endorsement) · Track 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

  • [Position, 2025-01-17] Her statement on the ceasefire agreement, opened and confirmed word for word: "Our military funding and political cover have enabled devastating violence and the erasure of Palestinian lives and rights. The Biden administration—and Congress—must support an arms embargo to prevent further atrocities, hold those responsible for war crimes accountable, and immediately facilitate rebuilding efforts in Gaza."
  • [Position, 2025-06-05] Her release on the Block the Bombs Act, opened and confirmed word for word: she "joined Representatives Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), and Mark Pocan (WI-02), and 17 other colleagues in introducing the Block the Bombs Act. The legislation would withhold the transfer of offensive weapons to Israel and demand Israel's compliance with U.S. and international law." A 22-member introduction, so the bill description is the release's rather than her personal wording.
  • [Position, 2026-06-04] Her release calling on Congress to pass the Lebanon War Powers Resolution, opened. Per the research she demanded an end to U.S. military involvement, targeting assistance and weapons supply used in Israeli operations in Lebanon. No verbatim span extracted, so it is recorded as the research's summary.
  • [Position, 2024-12-10] Co-led a letter with Rep. Greg Casar, signed by 20 House progressives, urging the administration to suspend offensive weapons transfers (Common Dreams). A 20-signatory letter; no individual quote drawn from it. Not opened.
  • [Position, 2025-09-11 and 2026-03-19, reported] Social-media calls for an immediate arms embargo, and a post calling U.S. funding of attacks across Gaza, Lebanon and Iran "sickening." Facebook sources, not readable; the verified January 2025 statement covers the same position.
  • Her recorded votes appear as badges on this card.

U.S. aid to Palestinians

  • [Position, 2025-01-17] Called for immediate facilitation of rebuilding efforts in Gaza (confirmed verbatim, above).

Characterization of the conflict

  • [Position, 2025-01-17] Confirmed verbatim: "The path to a just and lasting peace is clear: an end to the occupation, the blockade of Gaza, and the apartheid policies that deny Palestinians their basic rights. We must fully support Palestinian self-determination and liberation, as justice for Palestinians is inseparable from lasting peace for both Palestinians and Israelis."
  • [Position, 2024-04-24, reported] After her primary win, said "opposing genocide is good politics and good policy" (The Nation, Democracy Now). Not opened.
  • [Position, 2025-10-07] Second-anniversary statement, as reported grieving the Israeli lives taken by Hamas while condemning "the genocide that followed." Not opened.
  • [Position, 2026-05-14, reported] Co-sponsored a resolution with Rep. Rashida Tlaib, "Recognizing the Ongoing Nakba and Palestinian Refugees' Rights" (Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle). Resolution text is not her wording; not opened.

Related rhetoric and lobbying

  • [Position, undated, reported] A post arguing that when super PACs "like AIPAC or crypto pour millions into our elections" they are not acting in voters' interests (her Facebook page). Not readable.
  • [2024-04] Coverage of the AIPAC-linked spending against her in the 2024 primary (Mother Jones, Inside Climate News). Third-party reporting about spending against her, not her position.
  • [2026-04-07] City & State PA on her defending an appearance while saying she condemns all forms of hate. Not opened.
  • [Undated] An American Jewish Congress political guide entry. Advocacy source, consulted only.

Safety and antisemitism (context)

Note on the vote context

  • On the July 2026 amendment, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that six Pennsylvania Democrats supported it and only pa2-boyle voted against, while all Pennsylvania Republicans present voted no. Confirmed verbatim.

Also in this race

  1. ? James Hayes (Republican)

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.