But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Pete Sessions
- Backed with $29K by PACs we track that support U.S. weapons funding for the government of Israel (lifetime)
- Endorsed by AIPAC
No current position located for Sessions on U.S. weapons or money for the government of Israel: his 2024 statements trace to another member’s account. In 2022 he announced U.S. funding for Israeli missile defence, including $108 million for Iron Dome.
The email has replies@butwhatcanyoudo.org in cc, so we can post their answer on their page in their own words; remove it if you prefer. Keep the subject line as it is, add your name, and send.
You asked Pete Sessions where they stand.
Deep Dive
Sessions represents Texas’s 17th District and is running for re-election.
His most concrete act on what America sends is also his oldest. A statement of March 14, 2022 on funding secured in the FY2022 budget highlights U.S. money for Israeli defence programmes, including $108 million for Iron Dome and $62 million for the Arrow 3 upper tier system. That predates October 2023, so the card carries it as dated history.
An initial search reports two statements from March 12, 2024, after a meeting with AIPAC: that the United States "must never waver in our commitment to one of our closest allies", and "I stand with Israel, no ifs, ands, or buts". The only source page it attached for that material is a Facebook post from Rep. Tony Gonzales’s account, which is a different member of Congress. Both statements are excluded.
What remains in the current window is characterization rather than aid. In February 2024 he described the forces opposing Israel as "pure evil" and said Americans must speak with clarity in support of the Jewish people. In August 2026 he argued that Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan should come to the table to negotiate stability with Iran.
His 2021 statements and his antisemitism resolution predate the current window, and one further statement of his sits on the research page. His recorded votes and his funding from pro-Israel committees are shown separately on this card.
The record
Supported sending weapons or funding in 5 of 5 tracked votes
• Vote record imported from official House Clerk roll calls for H.R. 6126, H.R. 8034, and H.R. 8369. Other position fields remain under investigation.
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.
See a dash? Ask the candidate where they stand, then send us their answer and we'll review it and update the mark. Or volunteer to help review candidates.
Voted to send weapons or funding in more than half of their recorded tracked votes. (Supported sending weapons or funding in 5 of 5 tracked votes.)
The money
$29K in lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track
In their words
AIPAC (2026 endorsement)
Research log
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
- 2022-03-14 [Earlier record; card-closing as history]: Statement on FY2022 funding highlighting U.S. funding for Israeli defence initiatives including $108 million for the Iron Dome system and $62 million for the Arrow 3 Upper Tier System. Earlier record, so it appears at the end of the card as history. Not opened.
- 2024-03-12 [Current position; SOURCE IS A DIFFERENT MEMBER OF CONGRESS, excluded]: An initial search reports that after meeting AIPAC representatives he posted that the U.S. must continue backing Israel against Hamas and preventing a nuclear Iran, and that "the United States must never waver in our commitment to one of our closest allies".
⚠ **THE ONLY SOURCE IS REP. TONY GONZALES'S FACEBOOK PAGE.** The url an initial search attached is facebook.com/RepTonyGonzales/posts/i-stand-with-israelno-ifs-ands-or-buts-thank-you-aipac-for-meeting-with-me-this-, which would not open and belongs to the then-member for TX-23, a different person. Both this statement and the "I stand with Israel, no ifs, ands, or buts" quote below rest on it. Excluded. Note that Tony Gonzales also appears on this site as the incumbent who withdrew from the TX-23 primary, so the collision is within the same set of candidates.
- 2021-05-18 [Earlier record]: He urged the administration and Congress to reaffirm unified support for Israel, listed twice in the sources.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
- Nothing located, in either direction.
Characterization of the conflict
- 2021-05-18 [Earlier record]: He described Israel as "a country that loves peace and respects differences" and said Israel "will and should defend itself".
- 2023-10-07 [Months after October 7, 2023; on this page only]: Statement characterising the assault as "terrorist attacks by Hamas" and saying "Israel has an absolute right to defend its people", listed twice. He also said "the US must remain resolute and united with our greatest ally in the Middle East".
- 2024-02-05 [Current position]: He described the forces opposing Israel as "pure evil" and said Americans must "speak with utter clarity on this issue in support of the Jewish people as they defend themselves against the horrors". No source page is attached to this specifically.
- Undated: A video on his own page titled "What Israel is facing", with no retrievable text.
Rhetoric and lobbying
- 2024-03-12 [Current position; EXCLUDED, wrong member's account]: "I stand with Israel, no ifs, ands, or buts." See the source note above.
- 2026-08-08 [Current position; out of scope]: On C-SPAN he called for regional diplomatic engagement, saying Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan should come to the table to negotiate stability with Iran (Breitbart). About Iran diplomacy.
- [Consulted]: A vote-tracking site. Vote material is badge material and is not restated.
Safety and antisemitism
[Context only, never the answer to what America sends.]
- 2021-05-21 and 2021-06-08 [Earlier record]: He introduced House Resolution 428 condemning antisemitic incidents in the United States and calling for increased protections for Jewish communities, saying "We must stand united with the Jewish community, especially during a wave of heightened animosity" (his release, listed twice).
What came back empty or unusable
- His only two current-position statements on U.S. support both rest on a different member's Facebook post, which would not open.
- No position located on U.S. aid to Palestinians.
- Eleven sources of which five are duplicates, one is a 400 belonging to another member, and one is a video with no text.
Also in this race
- –No Position Found Casey Shepard (Democrat)
All Texas candidates.
See everyone on the Texas ballot →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.