But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Paige Cognetti
Democrat · U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 8
✗SupportsFrom their own words
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.
Cognetti backs continued U.S. military aid to the government of Israel. In a January 2026 interview she said she would take "extremely seriously Congress' role in ensuring they have the military aid that they need" and called for renewing the ten-year memorandum of understanding between the two governments.
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She told Jewish Insider in January 2026 that "the Israel question," as she called it, is "very simple" for her: "I vehemently support Israel's right to defend itself," she explained, "and would take extremely seriously Congress' role in ensuring they have the military aid that they need to defend themselves in a really dangerous neighborhood."
She said she did not feel compelled to join Democratic candidates who have turned away from such positions. "But there has never been a question, to me, about what the U.S.' role in supporting Israel should be," she said, adding that she "will continue to support Israel as a member of Congress." She argued that "some people have let themselves kind of get away from that simple answer, which is, Israel is surrounded by people who do not believe they should exist." And: "The United States," she vowed, "has been and will continue to be its most staunch ally."
To underscore the point, she cited a local munitions plant that she said continues to produce "the shells that we use for our own defense, but also that we ship to our allies, like Ukraine and Israel."
In the same interview she called for renewing the ten-year memorandum of understanding between the United States and the government of Israel, which expires in 2028. Under the current memorandum, signed in 2016, the United States pledged $38 billion in military aid to the government of Israel for fiscal years 2019 through 2028, subject to appropriation by Congress. She also stressed her support for ensuring humanitarian aid "gets to the people who need it" and backed a "diplomatic, two-state solution", which she acknowledged would be "complicated and hard-fought". Nothing located has her on conditioning or restricting U.S. weapons transfers.
DMFI PAC endorsed her in February 2026, in its first slate of non-incumbent candidates for the cycle. The group, the political arm of Democratic Majority for Israel, says it "works to elect pro-Israel Democrats". She has no federal voting record.
The money
$3K in lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track
Lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track
DMFI: $2,881.82
Support-only OpenFEC data (as of 2026-10-03). Opposition independent expenditures are excluded.
Who these lobbying groups are
DMFI PAC$2,881.82Democratic Majority for Israel's PAC; calls itself the home for pro-Israel Democrats and backs Democratic candidates who support a strong U.S. alliance with the government of Israel.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 DMFI PAC
DMFI PACDemocratic Majority for Israel's PAC; calls itself the home for pro-Israel Democrats and backs Democratic candidates who support a strong U.S. alliance with the government of Israel.These endorsements come from groups that back sending U.S. weapons and funding to the government of Israel.
In their words
“I vehemently support Israel's right to defend itself”
“some people have let themselves kind of get away from that simple answer, which is, Israel is surrounded by people who do not believe they should exist.”
“would take extremely seriously Congress' role in ensuring they have the military aid that they need to defend themselves in a really dangerous neighborhood.”
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, 2026-01-22] Jewish Insider interview, opened and confirmed word for word: "I vehemently support Israel's right to defend itself," she explained, "and would take extremely seriously Congress' role in ensuring they have the military aid that they need to defend themselves in a really dangerous neighborhood." The outlet's framing sentence, also confirmed: she "said 'the Israel question,' as she called it, is 'very simple' for her."
[Position, 2026-01-22, the outlet's paraphrase] In the same interview, per Jewish Insider, she called "for reauthorization of the current 10-year memorandum of understanding between Israel and the United States that is set to expire in 2028". Per the Congressional Research Service, the current memorandum, signed in 2016, covers U.S. military aid to the government of Israel for fiscal years 2019 through 2028: $38 billion pledged, subject to appropriation by Congress.
[Position, 2026-01-22] Confirmed word for word: "But there has never been a question, to me, about what the U.S.' role in supporting Israel should be," she said, adding that she "will continue to support Israel as a member of Congress." The outlet sets this against Democratic candidates who have turned away from such positions.
[Position, 2026-01-22] Confirmed word for word: she cited a local munitions plant that she said continues to produce "the shells that we use for our own defense, but also that we ship to our allies, like Ukraine and Israel." The article does not name the plant.
No statement located on conditioning, withholding or restricting transfers.
She has no federal voting record.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
[Position, 2026-01-22, the outlet's paraphrase with her quoted words] Jewish Insider reports that in the same interview she "stressed her support for ensuring humanitarian aid 'gets to the people who need it'". The article does not say whose aid she means or where it should go. Nothing else located has her on U.S. aid to Palestinians.
Characterization of the conflict
[Position, 2026-01-22] Confirmed verbatim: she argued that "some people have let themselves kind of get away from that simple answer, which is, Israel is surrounded by people who do not believe they should exist." And: "The United States," she vowed, "has been and will continue to be its most staunch ally."
[Position, 2026-01-22] In the same interview she backed a "diplomatic, two-state solution" to the conflict, which she acknowledged would be a "complicated and hard-fought" effort (the outlet's words around her quoted phrases; confirmed).
[Undated, after 2023-10-07, reported] Jewish Insider reports that as mayor she "has spoken up in support of Israel after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks". The article gives no date for this and quotes no statement of hers from that time. If it falls in the weeks after the attacks, it belongs to the reaction window and stays out of the card summary.
Related rhetoric and lobbying
[Position, 2026-01-22, reported] In the same interview: "There is some really, really dangerous rhetoric, and we need to call that out."
[Position, 2026-02-19] DMFI PAC's release lists "Paige Cognetti, PA-08" among the "Endorsed Candidates" in its first slate of non-incumbent endorsements for 2026. DMFI PAC, the political arm of Democratic Majority for Israel, says it "works to elect pro-Israel Democrats up and down the ballot." Tracked funding appears as a badge on this card.
Safety and antisemitism (context)
[Position, 2026-01-22, reported] Raised concerns about rising antisemitism across the political spectrum, calling anti-Jewish hate antithetical to "core American values." Safety context, never an answer about U.S. weapons or funding.
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.
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