But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Bill Reeside
Libertarian · U.S. House, South Carolina District 1
✗Supports
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.
Two reviewers, reading the public record as a whole, agree: In his own 2026 voter-guide answer he writes "I support selling military equipment to Israel", and his opposition to the joint war on Iran is about U.S. military action, not about stopping weapons to Israel. Reviewed by hand on 2026-10-01. This candidate has no recorded tracked floor votes.
Bill Reeside, a retired nuclear engineer who has owned property in Edisto Beach since 2004, is the Libertarian nominee in South Carolina's 1st District. He advanced from the Libertarian convention on April 11, 2026, and his campaign site lists endorsements from the Constitution Party and the Alliance Party of South Carolina as well. The seat has no incumbent; he faces Nancy Lacore, the Democrat, and Jenny Costa Honeycutt, the Republican, on November 3. He has never held office, so there are no votes on this record.
His position comes from his answer to iVoterGuide's 2026 question "Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?". It reads, in full: "I agree with the world’s decision to,create Israel in 1947.I do not support a “two party solution”." Then, on a new line: "I support selling military equipment to Israel. I 100% OPPOSE the joint Israeli-US “excursion” against Iran." He answered every question on the form, most with comments of his own. The answer speaks of selling equipment; it does not mention U.S. military aid to the government of Israel, and nothing else located does.
The rest of what he has published is about when the military should be used. His priorities page says he will fund "the most effective and strong military in the world" but "rarely vote to use it", and adds: "I believe in peace through strength, not endless wars or blank checks for military intervention". He would repeal every Authorization for Use of Military Force now in effect, and in an April 2026 interview with Live 5 News he called the war in Iran unconstitutional and said he would refuse a request for $200 billion more. Nothing located has him speaking about U.S. aid to Palestinians or the war in Gaza. The rest of what our research found is on his research page.
The notes behind this card: what we looked at, what we found, and where each item came from.
Every page named below was opened and read on 2026-10-08 unless the entry says otherwise. His campaign site was read in full: its home, priorities and endorsements pages, and the debate sign-up page it links. Bands: Position (2024-01-26 onward), Reaction window (2023-10-07 to 2024-01-25), Earlier record (before 2023-10-07), Undated. Undated pages are recorded on the date we read them. Reeside has never held office, so none of the congressional votes this site tracks is his, and no funding from the committees this site tracks is recorded on this record. Nothing located on this subject falls in the reaction window.
U.S. military aid and weapons to the government of Israel
[Position, read 2026-10-08] His iVoterGuide profile for the November 3, 2026 general election, answering "Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?": "I agree with the world’s decision to,create Israel in 1947.I do not support a ‘two party solution’." and, on a second line, "I support selling military equipment to Israel. I 100% OPPOSE the joint Israeli-US ‘excursion’ against Iran." The page gives no submission date. He answered every question on the form, most with comments, so the answer is evidence. It speaks of sales and says nothing of U.S. military aid grants or their amount.
[Position, read 2026-10-08] His priorities page, under Military: "I will legislate for and fund the most effective and strong military in the world (including the Space Force)—but will rarely vote to use it." and "I believe in peace through strength, not endless wars or blank checks for military intervention, and this is the stance I’ll bring to the floor in Congress." It names no country.
[Position, 2026-01-24] His Ballotpedia Candidate Connection answers, submitted January 24, 2026: "I support funding the best military force in the world and using it RARELY. I will legislate to remove all Authorizations for Use of Military Force currently in effect and force the Executive branch to abide by Article One of the Constitution, which gives Congress the power to declare war." An earlier submission, dated December 18, 2025, says he will ensure the military is used "RARELY and NEVER for nation building nor the overthrow of other sovereign nations."
[Read 2026-10-08] His iVoterGuide profile, among his priorities for eliminating government waste: "All overseas military installations will charge the host country “cost plus 100%”". On foreign policy he chose "D", that the United States should stay out of foreign conflicts completely, with the comment: "We should have the strongest military in the world, used rarely. The CIA must be reined in significantly."
U.S. aid to Palestinians
Nothing located, at any date.
Characterization of the conflict
Nothing located about the war in Gaza, at any date.
[Position, read 2026-10-08] The iVoterGuide answer above: "I agree with the world’s decision to,create Israel in 1947.I do not support a ‘two party solution’." The answer does not explain the phrase "two party solution"; it is quoted as he wrote it.
Israel-related rhetoric and lobbying
Nothing located, at any date.
Safety and antisemitism
Nothing located, at any date.
[Read 2026-10-08] On the same iVoterGuide form he marks "Agree" with "Islamic terrorism is a threat to the United States' national security."
What the campaign site and own pages say
[Read 2026-10-08] His home page leads with Social Security and Medicare and with restoring the House's Article I powers by repealing presidential tariff authority, the Insurrection Act, the Patriot Act and "all current Authorizations to Use Military Force." His priorities page covers Social Security and Medicare, immigration, health care, Medicaid, the military, student loans, criminal justice, Article I and abortion. Neither mentions Israel, Gaza, Palestinians or foreign aid.
[Read 2026-10-08] His endorsements page lists the Libertarian Party's nomination and endorsements from the Constitution Party and the Alliance Party of South Carolina.
The race
[Read 2026-10-08] Ballotpedia's race page: "Nancy Lacore, Jenny Honeycutt, Bill Reeside, and Clayton Cuteri are running in the general election for U.S. House South Carolina District 1 on November 3, 2026." Cuteri is an independent write-in. "There are no incumbents in this race." Reeside "advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House South Carolina District 1 on April 11, 2026."
[2026-04-10] Live 5 News, "WE THE PALMETTO: Meet the Candidate: Bill Reeside (For SC-01)": "Authorizations to use military force all should be repealed. The Patriot Act should be repealed," and "When the president comes to Congress for 200 billion more dollars, I absolutely say no. And in the next budget cycle for 2027, I will ask the question of the Secretary of Defense, ‘How much did you spend in this Iran war?’ I’ll cut your budget by that amount for next year." The reporter writes that he believes the war in Iran is unconstitutional.
[Read 2026-10-08] The Green Papers lists him as William Oliver "Bill" Reeside, Jr., FEC id H6SC01342, matching this record.
Places that could not be read, so nothing is claimed from them
His campaign Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/reesideforcongress and LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-reeside-26833639a/ , as listed by Ballotpedia.
The "We The Palmetto" podcast episode the Live 5 report points to (audio).
Local Candidates, which our research cited: https://www.localcandidates.org/politicians/bill-reeside/positions/a5f97a08-8b29-47b9-aa0f-8bd07716fbde (not read).
Not on the card, and why
The rest of his Live 5 remarks on the war in Iran, and his "Agree" on Islamic terrorism: outside the question this card answers. His Iran sentence in the iVoterGuide answer appears in the deep dive only because it is part of the answer quoted there in full; it stays off the front and out of the quotes list.
His waste-cutting line on overseas military installations: names no country.
Sources retrieved for this card (address; opened or could not open; date)
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.