Mike Rounds
Rounds's votes run one way: against every resolution that would have blocked a U.S. arms sale to the government of Israel. He co-led a bipartisan push for $500 million to fully fund U.S.-Israel missile defense, and welcomed the supplemental that restocked its munitions.
Rounds is South Dakota's junior senator, seeking another term, and sits on the Armed Services and Appropriations committees. His votes on this question are on this card and they point in a single direction; the prose does not re-list them.
He has put appropriations behind that direction as well as votes. In 2022 he and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand led forty-four senators asking for $500 million to fully fund the cooperative missile defense programs, and his own words on it were: "The advancements we have been able to make in this cooperative effort will benefit our defense capabilities as well as those of our ally Israel. This missile defense system has also saved the lives of countless Israeli and Palestinian citizens living in Israel. It is important that we continue to authorize and fund these systems."
When the national security supplemental passed in April 2024 he welcomed what it sent: the Senate had "appropriated funds to help restock Israel's munitions as they defend against unprovoked attacks on their homeland." His office's own summary of the bill put the figure at $26.4 billion for Israel and humanitarian aid, including $4 billion for missile defense.
In June 2025, after Israeli strikes on Iran, he said the strikes were a necessary step: "Our allies in Israel have determined that their strikes on Iran last night were a necessary step in defending their nation against those that wish to see it decimated. We stand with our friends and allies during this time." Nothing was located in which he addresses conditioning U.S. aid, an arms embargo, or U.S. funding for Palestinians, and his research page sets out where that was looked for.
Tracked votes: backed sending U.S. weapons or funding to the government of Israel in 10 of 10 recorded votes.
Research
U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel
- [Position, 2024 to 2026] Recorded votes against every motion to discharge a resolution disapproving a U.S. arms sale or defense export to the government of Israel, across four voting days, each cross-checked against the official roll call, for example S.J.Res. 111 and S.J.Res. 138. The card renders them; the prose does not re-list them or restate the tallies.
- [Position, 2024-04-23] Voted for the national security supplemental and issued a statement on it, dated on the page and read and confirmed word for word: "By an overwhelming supermajority, we have funded needed munitions for Ukraine in their war against Putin and appropriated funds to help restock Israel's munitions as they defend against unprovoked attacks on their homeland." The same page itemizes "$26.4B for Israel and humanitarian aid, including $4B for Iron Dome and missile defense systems and $1.2B for the Iron Beam defense system". The roll call is also a badge on this card.
- [Position, 2022-05-20] Co-led forty-four senators with Senator Gillibrand calling for $500 million to fully fund the cooperative missile defense programs in the fiscal 2023 defense appropriations bill, covering Iron Dome, David's Sling and the Arrow systems. His own words, confirmed against the page: "We have had a great deal of success in improving our missile defense systems working with Israel," and "The advancements we have been able to make in this cooperative effort will benefit our defense capabilities as well as those of our ally Israel. This missile defense system has also saved the lives of countless Israeli and Palestinian citizens living in Israel. It is important that we continue to authorize and fund these systems."
- [Prior, 2021-07-28] Co-signed a bipartisan letter to Senate appropriations leaders urging that Israel's emergency request to replenish Iron Dome be funded. Verified verbatim from the letter body, which is written in the first person plural: "Israel's Iron Dome has saved countless lives as terrorists intentionally launch rockets at Israel to harm civilians. In the latest conflict this past May, Hamas and other groups, launched more than 4,400 rockets. Iron Dome successfully prevented approximately 90 percent of these rockets from reaching their targets." Collective wording only; six other senators signed.
- [Unconfirmed, 2024-05] A fresh search reported that he criticized the administration for withholding heavy bomb shipments. Its only carriers are an advocacy site's profile page and unspecified interviews; nothing from it is quoted here.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
- Nothing located. No statement was found in which he addresses humanitarian funding for Gaza, the aid pipeline, or the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, in either direction, in this record or in a fresh search of the open record in August 2026. The nearest thing is the 2022 release above, in which he counts Palestinian citizens of Israel among the lives missile defense has saved.
- [Prior, 2015-06-26] Co-led a bipartisan letter to President Obama arguing that direct bilateral negotiations toward two states are the only viable path, and opposing recognition of Palestinian statehood through the United Nations. Eleven years old and a collective document; recorded rather than used.
Characterization of the conflict
- [Position, 2025-06-13] Statement after Israeli strikes on Iran, confirmed word for word: "Our allies in Israel have determined that their strikes on Iran last night were a necessary step in defending their nation against those that wish to see it decimated. We stand with our friends and allies during this time." and "Iran has been financing Hamas terrorists for decades, in addition to supplying them with materials and training their forces. It's no secret that Iran wants to see Israel wiped off the map." Note for the reader: the same statement is quoted in a local television report that also carries the independent candidate in this race; that candidate has his own card here, and each card uses the report only for its own subject.
- [Position, 2024-03-17] On CNN's State of the Union he argued against American officials commenting on another democracy's choice of leaders, responding to the Senate majority leader's floor speech about the Israeli prime minister (transcript).
- [Prior, 2021-05-13] Joined a letter urging the president to reject sanctions relief for Iran, which characterized Gaza-based groups as Iranian-backed and affirmed Israel's right to defend itself (his release). Collective document.
Related rhetoric and lobbying
- American Israel Public Affairs Committee support and Republican Jewish Coalition support are badges on this card and are not restated.
- [Context] An advocacy site that catalogs officeholders it opposes, boughtbyzionism.org, holds a profile on him. Its characterizations are its own; none is used here.
Safety and antisemitism (context)
- [Prior, 2021-06-08] Helped relaunch the Senate's bipartisan task force on antisemitism (his release).
- Co-sponsored bipartisan Senate resolutions condemning antisemitism in 2019, 2021 and 2023, the last of which endorsed the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition. All are other members' releases and all are collective documents.
Race and status context
- Incumbent senator seeking re-election, on the general-election ballot with a Democratic and an independent challenger, per Ballotpedia's race page.
- Source note: the two congress.gov interface addresses on this record, for his member entry and for a cosponsor roster, return a refusal to any reader without a key. They are provenance for the identity join and are not linked anywhere on this card.
Also in this race: Julian C Beaudion (Democrat), Brian Bengs (Independent) · All South Dakota 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.