Gabe Amo

Deep Dive

Gabe Amo has represented Rhode Island’s 1st District since he took office on November 13, 2023, in the seat David Cicilline left, and he is the Vice Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary on September 9, 2026, and the Department of State’s certified list for the November 3, 2026 ballot carries him, Kellie Keenan and Pedro DeSouza, an independent.

His fullest statement about American money is the one he issued on July 15, 2026, after voting for Representative Thomas Massie’s amendment to the State Department funding bill, which would have ended the annual military financing the United States provides to the government of Israel. He wrote that “The rhetoric and actions of extremists, like Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, make it impossible to defend the status quo.” He called the amendment itself “poorly constructed and overly broad” and said he does not agree with many of the sentiments its author has expressed in public, and then that the United States government must begin charting a new course that upholds American values in the Middle East and demands accountability for how taxpayer dollars are used. In the same statement he said “I support Israel’s right to exist” and that he would keep supporting the defensive systems Iron Dome, David’s Sling and the Arrow, none of which the amendment would have reached.

His votes on the 2024 bills went in more than one direction, and he explained each of them at the time. In February 2024 he voted against a standalone aid bill for that government, saying in a joint statement that “Humanitarian aid to Gaza is vital to the long-term security of Israelis and Palestinians” and that aid for Gaza, support for Ukraine and money for the Indo-Pacific all belonged in one supplemental bill. In April 2024 he voted for the four-bill package that carried all of it, saying it would improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza and help secure a peace grounded in a two-state solution negotiated between Israel as a secure Jewish democratic state and Palestinians fulfilling their legitimate aspirations. A month later, at an event held by the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island in Providence, he said “I want Israel to have what it needs.”

Aid to Palestinians is where he has taken the lead himself. In November 2025 he led a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio with 125 colleagues asking what the department’s plan was for getting food, water, baby formula and medicine to civilians in Gaza, and he told the Brown Daily Herald that “Aid should not be controversial”. In August 2025 he called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt the planned occupation of Gaza City, saying further intensification of the fighting would worsen the humanitarian and hunger crisis and risk the hostages still held by Hamas. On the ceasefire announced in October 2025 he said it was long past time to end the violence, return the hostages and surge essential humanitarian aid to stop the suffering of civilians in Gaza. In January 2026 he was one of 74 lawmakers who signed a letter asking the State Department to press the Israeli government over the Knesset annexation bills and the E-1 settlement project, and to reimpose sanctions under Executive Order 14115; that wording is the signers’ rather than his own.

The pressure on him runs in both directions. Jewish Insider reported on July 17, 2026 that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a lobbying organization that works to strengthen United States ties with the government of Israel and runs committees that give money to candidates, stopped letting its supporters route donations to the eighteen lawmakers it had endorsed who voted for the Massie amendment, and Amo is one of the eighteen. Rhode Island groups have pressed him the other way: reports in November 2025 and July 2026 say he has not cosponsored the Block the Bombs Act, which would restrict transfers of certain offensive weapons to that government, and a July 2026 campaign fundraiser was targeted for a protest over his record. His campaign answered there that he has voted against sending military aid to the Netanyahu government where that support ran counter to American values. His statements about Iran, his work on antisemitism, and what he said in the weeks after October 7, 2023 are on his research page.

The record

Supported sending weapons or funding in 2 of 5 tracked votes

House Committee on Foreign Affairs

The money

$20K in lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track

In their words

Research log

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

Every page listed below was opened and read on 2026-09-19 unless the entry says otherwise. Bands: Position (2024-01-26 onward), Reaction window (2023-10-07 to 2024-01-25), Earlier record (before 2023-10-07), Undated. His recorded House roll calls are shown as badges on the card and are not restated here.

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

• [Position, 2026-07-15] His statement after voting for the Massie amendment to H.R. 8595, the State Department and related programs appropriations bill for 2027. The full statement: “The United States-Israel relationship should be grounded in shared democratic values, respect for the rule of law, and an aspiration for a peaceful future. Prime Minister Netanyahu's government, however, has repeatedly violated these principles. The rhetoric and actions of extremists, like Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, make it impossible to defend the status quo.” “The suffering of civilians in Gaza is unacceptable, the unchecked settlement expansion is reckless, and continued settler violence is unconscionable. President Trump’s blank check to Netanyahu has allowed a dangerous course that undermines the prospect of peace.” “Representative Massie's amendment is poorly constructed and overly broad, and I do not agree with many of the sentiments he’s publicly expressed. But it remains abundantly clear that the United States government must begin charting a new course that upholds American values in the Middle East, protects our national security interests, and demands accountability for how U.S. taxpayer dollars are used.” “I support Israel's right to exist. I will continue to support defensive efforts that save civilian lives, including Iron Dome, David's Sling, and the Arrow systems — none of which would be impacted by this amendment — while making clear that our dollars should not be divorced from our values.” “This vote is not about abandoning Israel. It's about rejecting the false choice Republicans are presenting between a blank check for Netanyahu’s extremist coalition and walking away from the Israeli people. I will continue to push for a different path that advances humanitarian relief, defeats Hamas, and achieves a just and lasting peace that provides security, dignity, and self-determination for Israelis and Palestinians alike.” The page carries a published date of July 15, 2026.
• [Position, 2024-02-07] The joint statement he issued with Rhode Island’s other representative explaining their votes on H.R. 7217, the standalone bill for the government of Israel. It says: “On October 7, Hamas terrorists brutally targeted Israeli civilians, killing over 1,000 and taking hundreds of innocent hostages. We strongly support Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism, including the right to engage in targeted military action to free hostages and eliminate Hamas.” It continues: “Today’s vote cannot be viewed in isolation. It has been 109 days since President Biden called on Congress to advance funding in support of Israel, humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza, support for Ukraine, and resources for the Indo-Pacific. And for 109 days, House Republicans have refused to consider the President’s full request.” And it closes: “Humanitarian aid to Gaza is vital to the long-term security of Israelis and Palestinians. Support for Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific is essential to our cause of democracy around the world. These priorities must be included in a supplemental spending bill. For this reason, with heavy hearts, we cannot support this bill in its current form.” The wording is a joint one, and only what it says about Gaza aid and the package is used on the card.
• [Position, 2024-04-20] His release on the four-bill package the House passed that day. His words: “After months of reckless delays and obstruction by a minority of Republicans in the House, I am glad we are finally taking bipartisan action to show that America will keep its word and meet the moment.” “Advancing this package supports our democratic allies in Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific; provides essential humanitarian assistance to civilians in harm’s way; and imposes strict sanctions on Iran for its destabilizing actions in the region.” And: “In the Middle East, we must have an immediate ceasefire that brings home the hostages captured by Hamas. This package will improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, protect innocent civilians, and help secure a just, stable, and lasting peace that is grounded in a two-state solution negotiated between Israel as a secure Jewish democratic state and Palestinians fulfilling their legitimate aspirations.” The release then sets out what each of the four bills contained, with dollar amounts for the Ukraine, Israel and Indo-Pacific titles. Those figures are the release’s own and belong with the vote record rather than in card prose.
• [Position, 2024-05-20; published 2024-06-07] Jewish Rhode Island’s account of his appearance at the Dwares Jewish Community Center on May 20, 2024, at a dialogue hosted by the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. The article reports that he answered questions about his votes on Israel and the Hamas war, that he said he struggles with decisions on the Middle East, and quotes him: “We don’t want to be in the business of attacking a prime minister of a country that we are so aligned with.” And: “I want Israel to have what it needs.” The two sentences are separated in the article by the attribution, so they are recorded as two spans and never joined.
• [Position, 2025-11-25 and 2026-07-31] Two reports say he has not cosponsored the Block the Bombs Act, H.R. 3565, which would restrict transfers of certain offensive weapons to the government of Israel: the Brown Daily Herald in November 2025, and GoLocalProv in July 2026, which reports an organizer still asking him to cosponsor it. The bill’s official cosponsor list could not be opened here, so this rests on those two reports and not on the roll of cosponsors.
• [Position, 2026-07-31] GoLocalProv, “Amo and Buttigieg Narragansett Fundraiser Targeted by Activists”, dated Friday, July 31, 2026. It quotes his campaign spokeswoman: “Congressman Amo has demonstrated his commitment to self-determination and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike, led over 100 of his colleagues in pushing for a significant increase in humanitarian aid to civilians in the region, and voted against sending military aid to Netanyahu’s government when that support runs counter to our values”. Those are the campaign’s words rather than his own. The same report carries the demands of the TwoADay Group, an organization it describes as supporting a complete and immediate ceasefire and an end to United States military aid to Israel; its spokesman’s characterizations of Amo are that organization’s words about him and are not used on the card.

U.S. aid to Palestinians

• [Position, 2025-11-07] The letter he led to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which his office says was signed by 125 colleagues. The lawmakers wrote: “While we welcome the news that humanitarian aid is entering Gaza after the October 8 ceasefire agreement, we seek clarity on your plan to ensure desperately needed humanitarian aid reaches Palestinian civilians in Gaza.” And: “We are encouraged that more aid is being delivered following the recent ceasefire agreement, and we urge that aid distribution to be conducted by reputable international institutions.” The release also records that in July 2025 he led a letter with 51 colleagues opposing the Secretary’s decision to withhold and then destroy emergency food, that in May 2025 he questioned the Secretary in committee about undelivered therapeutic food, and that in July 2024 he wrote to Secretary Blinken and the USAID Administrator in support of dedicated funding for ready-to-use therapeutic food for Gaza, Sudan and elsewhere. The letter’s wording is collective.
• [Position, 2025-11-25] The Brown Daily Herald’s report on that letter. It quotes him directly: “Aid should not be controversial.” And: “The announced ceasefire cannot be the end of the peace process.” It says the letter was signed by 124 other members of Congress, a count one short of the 125 his own release claims, and that the State Department had not answered by the deadline the signers set. The same article reports the criticism of Rhode Island organizations that he has not gone further, and a video in which he takes postcards from campaigners; what he says to them there is a reply to constituents and is not treated as a statement of position.
• [Position, 2024-04-20] The humanitarian title of the April 2024 package and his own reason for voting for it are quoted in full in his release and in the section above.
• [Position, 2025-10-09] His statement on the initial ceasefire agreement: “It is long past time to end the violence, see the safe return of the hostages, and surge essential humanitarian aid to stop the suffering of civilians in Gaza.”
• [Position, 2025-08-10] His statement on the planned occupation of Gaza City: “We must see a permanent ceasefire, surge of sufficient aid distributed to prevent further famine, ensure all possible steps are taken to protect civilian life, and achieve long-term peace and stability in the region.”
• [Position, 2024-09-19] What’s Up Newp’s report of remarks he gave that day, in which he called for an immediate ceasefire to release the hostages and surge humanitarian aid to Gaza. His quoted words there are mostly about Iran and its regional proxies; the part in scope reads: “I also reaffirm my support for a long-term plan — one that ensures a lasting, peaceful, two-state solution and provides self-determination for both Israelis and Palestinians. An immediate ceasefire and comprehensive day-after plan are essential for containing the conflict and countering the threat of Iran and its proxies.” The article states at its foot that generative artificial intelligence assisted the reporter, so it is recorded here and nothing on the card rests on it alone.

Characterization of the conflict

• [Position, 2026-07-15] In the July 2026 statement he writes that the suffering of civilians in Gaza is unacceptable, that settlement expansion is reckless and that settler violence is unconscionable, and he names the extremist ministers he holds responsible for the status quo. The full passage is quoted above.
• [Position, 2025-08-10] The Gaza City statement: “Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly prioritized his own interests and staying in power over ending the conflict. Further civilian suffering jeopardizes a future two-state solution in which Israelis and Palestinians can live side-by-side in mutual security and self-determination.” And: “President Trump has gutted our nation’s diplomatic & humanitarian response capacity, abdicated American leadership, and reneged on his rhetorical promises to be a peacemaker.”
• [Position, 2025-01-15] His statement on the ceasefire deal: “15 months ago, Hamas unleashed a barbaric terrorist attack that shattered communities and upended life in the region. Since then, far too many Israelis and Palestinians have experienced unimaginable pain, death, and the agony of being separated from their loved ones.” And: “I will continue my work in Congress to promote the peace and stability necessary for a lasting two-state solution.”
• [Position, 2026-01-20] The letter led by Senator Peter Welch and Representative Ro Khanna and signed by 74 bicameral lawmakers, with “Gabe Amo (D-RI-01)” in the published House signer list. The signers wrote: “U.S. leadership is crucial at this moment. We need tangible steps to back these words with action, if we are to preserve the ceasefire in Gaza and the possibility of a negotiated two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.” They urged the State Department to warn the Israeli government about the pending Knesset sovereignty bills and the E-1 settlement project, and: “We urge the Administration to reimpose sanctions under Executive Order 14115 and to condemn the acts of de facto annexation undertaken by Israeli settlers.” The letter is endorsed by J Street and New Jewish Narrative, two advocacy organizations that support a negotiated two-state outcome. The wording throughout is the signers’ and is not attributed to him alone.
• [Earlier record, 2023-07-13] An interview with the journalist Steve Ahlquist, published before the special election. Asked about Israel, the two-state solution and Palestine, he answered: “I am not diving deep into the domestic politics over there, but I will say I am supportive of a two-state solution. I would like there to be, without conditions, a set of direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine. But you watch the news and know that’s not something that is going to happen right away. So I hope that we can find some peace and arrive at some form of an extended ceasefire that creates an opportunity to proceed toward a two-state solution.” This predates October 7, 2023 and is history rather than a current position, so it is recorded here and not on the card.
• [Reaction window, 2023-11-03] His interview with Ian Donnis on The Public’s Radio, four days before the special election. The transcript records: “Well, let me zoom out. I stand with Israel. I believe Israel has a right to defend itself. I, I believe the horrible terrorist attacks by Hamas are, are unconscionable.” He goes on to say a humanitarian pause matters so that the effect falls on terrorism rather than on innocent civilians. Not on the card summary; recorded here with its date.
• [Reaction window, 2023-11-29] His release announcing his Foreign Affairs subcommittee assignments and his floor speech on H.Res. 888 and H.Res. 793, which he voted for. Not on the card summary; recorded here with its date.

Related rhetoric and lobbying

• [Position, 2026-07-17] Jewish Insider, “AIPAC ends fundraising for endorsees who voted to cut off Israel aid”, by Gabby Deutch. The report says the American Israel Public Affairs Committee removed the option for supporters to route donations through its giving portal to 18 lawmakers it had endorsed who voted for the Massie amendment, and lists “Rep. Gabe Amo (D-RI)” first among them. It also reports that the group did not announce the change and did not formally rescind any endorsement, and that its supporters may now give to 72 Democratic and 178 Republican candidates. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is a lobbying organization that works to strengthen United States ties with the government of Israel and, through affiliated committees, gives money to candidates. Jewish Insider is a Washington news organization covering politics and the Jewish community.
• [Undated; read 2026-09-19] Who Funds My Rep, a site that totals contributions from committees it identifies as pro-Israel, gives a figure of $112,018 for him across all cycles it tracks, while the same page shows no direct, earmarked or independent-expenditure activity and no itemized transactions in the current cycle. It is a third-party tracker and its two numbers do not agree with each other on that page, so nothing from it is on the card; what the tracked committees record for this candidate is a matter for the funding badge, which this record does not carry.
• [Position, 2026-07-31] The protest organizers quoted by GoLocalProv want him to oppose offensive weapons transfers and to cosponsor H.R. 3565. Those are their words about him and are recorded here rather than on the card.

Safety and antisemitism (context, not a position on what America sends)

• [Position, 2025-10-30] His release with Rhode Island Jewish leaders in Smithfield: “Antisemitism has no place anywhere, not in Smithfield, not in Rhode Island, not in the world.” The release also records that he is a member of the bipartisan House Task Force on Combating Antisemitism, that he has led bipartisan efforts for full funding of the Nonprofit Security Grant Program and against a pause in its drawdowns, and that before Congress he helped implement the National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism at the White House.
• [Position, 2024-05-20] The Jewish Rhode Island account reports that much of his focus has been on combating antisemitism and that he denounced hate speech and discrimination against the Jewish community.
• [Reaction window, 2023-11-29] His floor remarks included a call for an urgent collective response to rising antisemitism and Islamophobia. Not on the card summary; recorded here with its date.

What the campaign site and own pages say

• [Undated; read 2026-09-19] His campaign site carries a biography, a donate page, a volunteer page and an “About the Campaign” page written for the 2023 special election. There is no issues page. The words Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, Hamas, foreign aid and Middle East appear nowhere on either page.
• [Undated; read 2026-09-19] His official press-release archive was searched for this subject as well as read at its most recent page. The in-scope releases it holds are the ones set out above; the archive also carries a large body of work on domestic subjects and on foreign aid generally.

The race

• [Position, read 2026-09-19] The Rhode Island Department of State’s candidate list for Representative in Congress District 1 at the November 3, 2026 general election, current as of September 19, 2026, carries three names on the election ballot: Gabriel Felix Kofi Amo (Democrat, ballot position 2), Kellie Eleanor Keenan (Republican, position 1) and Pedro DeSouza (Independent, position 3), whose name the ballot display prints as PEDRO JUNIOR SOARES DE SOUZA and who qualified with 535 certified signatures against a requirement of 500 and did not appear on a primary ballot. The filing deadline was June 24, 2026 and the primary was September 9, 2026; Amo and Keenan were each unopposed in their own party’s primary.
• [Position, read 2026-09-19] Ballotpedia’s page for this race gives a different third name: “Incumbent Gabe Amo, Kellie Keenan, and Wilfred Curioso are running in the general election for U.S. House Rhode Island District 1 on November 3, 2026.” It does not list Pedro DeSouza under any spelling of his name, and its page for Wilfred Curioso says only that he “declared candidacy for the general election scheduled on November 3, 2026”. The state’s certified list is what this card follows. Ballotpedia’s own note on that page reads “The candidate list in this election may not be complete.”
• [Position, read 2026-09-19] Ballotpedia’s page for the incumbent gives November 13, 2023 as the day he took office, in the seat David N. Cicilline held before him.

Places that could not be read, so nothing is claimed from them

• https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3565/cosponsors (could not open; 2026-09-19). The claim that he has not cosponsored the bill therefore rests on two news reports and not on the official list.
• https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/119/hr3565 (could not open; 2026-09-19; 403).
• The video of campaigners delivering postcards to him, described by the Brown Daily Herald as posted to an Instagram account, was not watched, and nothing is claimed from it. What he says in it is in any case a reply to constituents.

Not on the card, and why

• His interview of November 3, 2023 and his release and floor remarks of November 29, 2023: they fall in the weeks this site records here with their dates rather than on cards. Both are set out above.
• His remarks about Iran, including the Iran passages in the September 2024 speech and the April 2024 release, and a May 2026 House resolution about military action in Iran that appears in a news list on a third-party page and was not opened: Iran is a different question from what the United States sends to the government of Israel.
• The dollar amounts the April 2024 release gives for each title of the package: those belong with the vote record rather than in card prose.
• The antisemitism material: it is context, and it does not answer what the United States sends.
• The TwoADay Group’s and Jewish Voice for Peace Rhode Island’s characterizations of him: an organization’s words about a candidate are not his own and stay here.
• The totals on Who Funds My Rep: a third-party tracker whose own page contradicts itself on this candidate.
• The words of his campaign spokeswoman are used on the card as the campaign’s answer, attributed as such, and never as his own quotation.
• Kellie Keenan’s and Wilfred Curioso’s records: another candidate’s record is not narrated here.

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

• https://amo.house.gov/press-release/amo-statement-on-amendment-to-foreign-affairs-appropriations-bill-limiting-funding-to-netanyahu-government (opened; 2026-09-19; published 2026-07-15)
• https://amo.house.gov/press-release/amo-magaziner-joint-statement-on-hr-7217 (opened; 2026-09-19; published 2024-02-07)
• https://amo.house.gov/press-release/amo-votes-to-pass-crucial-long-overdue-bipartisan-support-for-democratic-allies (opened; 2026-09-19; published 2024-04-20)
• https://amo.house.gov/press-release/vice-ranking-member-amo-leads-125-democrats-calling-on-secretary-rubio-to-provide-robust-american-leadership-to-feed-palestinian-civilians (opened; 2026-09-19; published 2025-11-07)
• https://amo.house.gov/press-release/amo-statement-on-netanyahu-s-planned-occupation-of-gaza-city (opened; 2026-09-19; published 2025-08-10)
• https://amo.house.gov/press-release/amo-statement-on-israel-hamas-ceasefire-agreement (opened; 2026-09-19; published 2025-10-09)
• https://amo.house.gov/press-release/amo-statement-on-ceasefire-deal-between-israel-and-hamas (opened; 2026-09-19; published 2025-01-15)
• https://amo.house.gov/press-release/amo-reaffirms-support-for-israel-denounces-rise-in-hate-and-announces-foreign-affairs-subcommittee-appointments (opened; 2026-09-19; published 2023-11-29)
• https://amo.house.gov/press-release/amo-joins-rhode-island-jewish-leaders-denouncing-antisemitism-bigotry-and-hazing (opened; 2026-09-19; published 2025-10-30)
• https://amo.house.gov/press-releases (opened; 2026-09-19)
• https://www.jewishrhody.com/stories/rep-amo-voices-support-for-israel-fighting-antisemitism,68292 (opened; 2026-09-19; posted 2024-06-07, event 2024-05-20)
• https://www.browndailyherald.com/article/2025/11/rep-gabe-amo-requests-details-on-us-humanitarian-aid-to-gaza-in-letter-to-marco-rubio (opened; 2026-09-19; published 2025-11-25)
• https://www.golocalprov.com/politics/amo-and-buttigieg-narragansett-fundraiser-targeted-by-activists (opened; 2026-09-19; published 2026-07-31)
• https://jewishinsider.com/2026/07/aipac-ends-fundraising-for-endorsees-who-voted-to-end-israel-aid/ (opened; 2026-09-19; published 2026-07-17)
• https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-khanna-lead-74-bicameral-lawmakers-in-urging-stronger-response-from-trump-admin-on-israels-efforts-to-annex-the-west-bank/ (opened; 2026-09-19; published 2026-01-20)
• https://whatsupnewp.com/2024/09/congressman-amo-calls-for-ceasefire-between-israel-and-hamas/ (opened; 2026-09-19; published 2024-09-19)
• https://steveahlquist.substack.com/p/exclusive-interview-gabe-amo-aide (opened; 2026-09-19; published 2023-07-13)
• https://thepublicsradio.org/episode/gabe-amo-on-his-run-in-cd1-the-war-in-israel-and-biden-s-less-than-stellar-approval-rating/ (opened; 2026-09-19; published 2023-11-03)
• https://whofundsmyrep.com/rep/gabe-amo (opened; 2026-09-19; undated)
• https://www.gabeamo.com/ and https://www.gabeamo.com/about-the-campaign/ (opened; 2026-09-19; undated)
• https://vote.sos.ri.gov/Candidates/CandidateSearchSummary?OfficeType=591&Election=18144 (opened; 2026-09-19; current as of 2026-09-19)
• https://ballotpedia.org/Rhode_Island%27s_1st_Congressional_District_election,_2026 (opened; 2026-09-19)
• https://ballotpedia.org/Gabe_Amo (opened; 2026-09-19)
• https://ballotpedia.org/Wilfred_Curioso (opened; 2026-09-19)
• https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3565/cosponsors (could not open; 2026-09-19)
• https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/119/hr3565 (could not open; 2026-09-19)
• This is a record of what was checked on 2026-09-19, not a claim that no other statement exists.