Madeleine Dean
Dean voted yes in July 2026 and said why in seven words: "Not another dime to the Netanyahu government." She called the amendment "flawed" and voted for it anyway, saying Netanyahu's prosecution of the war "has not made Israel safer."
Dean has represented Pennsylvania's 4th District since 2019.
Her July 2026 statement is unusually direct about both the vote and its instrument: "That is why today I voted 'yes' on Congressman Massie's flawed amendment, to make clear from me: Not another dime to the Netanyahu government."
She set the alliance beside it rather than against it: "Israel is a friend and ally of the United States, and I have prized my opportunities to visit and get to know her people. But Netanyahu's prosecution of this war has not made Israel safer. It has not brought stability to the Middle East. And it has not lived up to our American ideals or international law."
Two years earlier she had voted the other way on a different bill, and explained that too. In April 2024 she supported the security package, noting that she strongly disagreed with Netanyahu's execution of the war while more than half the Israel funding went to defensive systems and to replenishing American stocks, alongside $9.5 billion in global humanitarian assistance.
In December 2024 she co-led a letter with Reps. Jason Crow and Chrissy Houlahan, signed by 77 House Democrats, asking for a full assessment of Israel's compliance with U.S. arms transfer law.
After a second trip to Israel and the West Bank in February 2024 she called for a bilateral ceasefire and said the military operation had gone beyond self-defence. In September 2025 she called for an end to what she described as a man-made famine in Gaza.
Tracked votes: opposed sending U.S. weapons or funding to the government of Israel in 4 of 6 recorded votes.
Research
U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel
- [Position, 2026-07-15] Her statement on supporting the Massie amendment, opened and confirmed word for word: "That is why today I voted 'yes' on Congressman Massie's flawed amendment - to make clear from me: Not another dime to the Netanyahu government. Israel is a friend and ally of the United States, and I have prized my opportunities to visit and get to know her people. But Netanyahu's prosecution of this war has not made Israel safer. It has not brought stability to the Middle East. And it has not lived up to our American ideals or international law." The passage begins by referring to Israeli operations "in Gaza and the West Bank, on innocent Palestinians, so many of them children."
Note she calls the amendment "flawed" and votes for it regardless. That is the same shape as nc2-ross, who called it "poorly written and overly broad" and also voted yes, and the card keeps the qualifier because dropping it would make her sound less deliberate than she is.
- [Position, 2024-04-20] Her statement supporting the security funding package, opened. Per the research she noted that she strongly disagreed with Netanyahu's execution of the war while more than half the Israel funding was for defensive systems such as Iron Dome and for replenishing U.S. weapon stocks, alongside $9.5 billion in global humanitarian assistance. Recorded as the research's summary; no verbatim span is quoted from it here.
- [Position, 2024-12-12] Co-led a letter with Reps. Jason Crow and Chrissy Houlahan, signed by 77 House Democrats, to the Secretaries of State and Defense requesting a full assessment of Israel's compliance with U.S. arms transfer law, including National Security Memorandum 20 and Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act (Jewish Insider, Common Dreams). A 77-signatory letter, so no individual quote is drawn from it. Not opened. Note pa6-houlahan co-led it with her.
- Her recorded votes appear as badges on this card and are not uniform. The two statements above are her own explanations of the two that moved in opposite directions.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
- [Position, 2025-09-04] Called on the House floor for an end to the "man-made famine in Gaza". Not opened.
- [Position, 2024-04-20] Cited the package's $9.5 billion in global humanitarian assistance as part of her reason for supporting it (per the research).
- [Position, 2025-10-07, reported] Called for an influx of humanitarian aid to Gaza alongside a ceasefire and the return of hostages.
Characterization of the conflict
- [Position, 2024-02-28] After a second trip to Israel and the West Bank, opened;, as reported she called for a bilateral ceasefire, said the military operation had gone "beyond self-defense," described it as a "war against civilians," and accused Netanyahu of dishonesty about precision strikes and safe zones. Also covered by the Inquirer. No verbatim span is quoted here; the release was opened but the research's phrases were not individually confirmed.
- [Position, 2026-07-15] Israeli operations "in Gaza and the West Bank, on innocent Palestinians, so many of them children" (confirmed verbatim, above).
- [Position, 2025-10-07, reported] Condemned Hamas's "brutal and barbaric" assault on the second anniversary, and called for a long-term autonomous Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank as part of a two-state solution.
- [Position, 2025-12-10, reported] At a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing decried "unprecedented settler expansion" and "rising settler violence" in the West Bank.
Related rhetoric and lobbying
- [Prior, 2023-07-18, reported] Said House Republican leadership was using Israel and the Jewish community as a "political football." Before 2023-10-07, so prior band.
Safety and antisemitism (context)
- [Prior, 2023-07-18, reported] Condemned antisemitism and affirmed the necessity of a safe haven for the Jewish people. Prior band; safety context, never an answer about U.S. weapons or funding.
Also in this race: Aurora Stuski (Republican) · All Pennsylvania candidates.
See the full record →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 the interactive card for votes, funding and contact details.