But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Keith Self
- Backed with $20K by PACs we track that support U.S. weapons funding for the government of Israel (lifetime)
- Endorsed by AIPAC
- Sits on House Foreign Affairs
Self led a letter urging the president to "unlock all Congressionally approved foreign aid to Israel" without delay, and demanded the administration stop conditioning that aid on Gaza humanitarian benchmarks.
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You asked Keith Self where they stand.
Deep Dive
Self represents Texas’s 3rd District and took office in January 2023. His position is that appropriated aid should flow without conditions, and he has pursued it against administrations of both parties.
In October 2024, after Iranian missile strikes on Israel, he led a letter signed by five House Republican colleagues urging President Biden to unlock all Congressionally approved foreign aid to Israel without delay and to enforce existing sanctions on Iran.
Later that month he publicly admonished the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense after they warned Israeli officials that military aid could be affected if Gaza humanitarian access benchmarks were not met. He demanded the administration cease "dictating the rules of engagement" and release all aid so Israel could finish its war on terror. That is a position on conditionality specifically, which is what makes it precise rather than general support.
In April 2024 he opposed a procedural rule bundling multiple foreign aid packages together, while noting House Republicans had already passed a standalone $14.5 billion military aid package for Israel and calling Israel "our closest Middle East ally". His objection was to the bundling, not the aid.
He has also introduced a bill he describes as exposing fraudulent Palestinian claims and condemned a UN General Assembly action. Recorded votes on the tracked bills are shown separately on this card.
The record
Supported sending weapons or funding in 6 of 6 tracked votes
House Committee on Foreign Affairs
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.
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Voted to send weapons or funding in more than half of their recorded tracked votes. (Supported sending weapons or funding in 6 of 6 tracked votes.)
The money
$20K 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
- 2024-04-19 [Current position]: Press release opposing a House procedural rule combining multiple foreign aid packages. While opposing the bundled bill he noted House Republicans had previously passed a standalone $14.5 billion military aid package for Israel, calling Israel "our closest Middle East ally". **His objection was to the packaging, not to the aid**, which matters if a tracked-vote badge on this card records a vote against a bundled measure.
- 2024-10-02 [Current position]: After Iranian missile strikes on Israel he led a letter signed by five House Republican colleagues urging President Biden to "unlock all Congressionally approved foreign aid to Israel" without delay and enforce all existing sanctions against Iran.
- 2024-10-18 [Current position]: Admonished the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense after they warned Israeli officials that military aid could be affected if Gaza humanitarian access benchmarks were not met, demanding the administration cease "dictating the rules of engagement" and release all aid so Israel could "finish its war on terror". A position on CONDITIONALITY, which is more specific than general support.
Characterization of the conflict
- Undated [Current position]: Introduced a bill he describes as exposing fraudulent Palestinian claims. An initial search did not establish the bill number or what the measure does in operative terms, so it is recorded rather than characterised.
- Undated: Letter condemning a United Nations General Assembly action.
Rhetoric and lobbying
Safety and antisemitism
- Nothing located.
What came back empty or unusable
- No statement located on U.S. aid to Palestinians or UNRWA as a budget line, though the bill on Palestinian claims may bear on it and its contents were not established.
- Every source page is his own House release. Well documented, no independent reporting.
Also in this race
- ?Mixed Evan Hunt (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.