But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Pramila Jayapal
Jayapal voted against every tracked aid bill and to cut $3.3 billion from that aid, and co-leads Block the Bombs. In August 2025: “I believe it is time to name that the government of Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.” Her 2023 “racist state” remark and apology are inside.
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Deep Dive
Jayapal has represented Washington’s 7th District since 2017 and is a leading House critic of U.S. weapons transfers to Israel. Her six recorded votes appear as badges on this card: No on all four tracked aid measures, No on the amendment to cut $500 million for Israeli missile-defense programs, Yes on the 2026 amendment to cut $3.3 billion from aid to Israel.
Her August 2025 statement carries the genocide naming with her own framing of the Genocide Convention’s Holocaust origins. She has co-led legislation to block offensive weapons sales since March 2025 and commended the 2024 withholding of weapons over Rafah while backing defensive systems.
At Netroots Nation in July 2023 she said "Israel is a racist state", then clarified the next day: "I in no way intended to deny the deep pain and hurt of Israelis and their Jewish diaspora community", saying her criticism was of "Netanyahu’s extreme right-wing government" and reiterating two-state support. Her October 2024 anniversary statement condemned Hamas, called for hostages’ return, and demanded "eradicating antisemitism—indeed, all forms of hate and discrimination".
She publicly fights AIPAC’s role in Democratic primaries (2026 fundraising messages and interviews; partly on held for human verification or uncorroborated sources), and in August 2026 criticized the University of Washington’s cancellation of a Hasan Piker appearance, drawing criticism covered by Jewish Insider. Her October 25, 2023 statement on H.Res. 771 is on the research page.
The record
Supported sending weapons or funding in 1 of 6 tracked votes · Cosponsors the Block the Bombs Act
House Committee on Foreign Affairs
• 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.
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Voted to send weapons or funding in some, but no more than half, of their recorded tracked votes. (Supported sending weapons or funding in 1 of 6 tracked votes.)
The money
Checked the five lobbying groups we track; no direct 2026 support found
In their words
Peace Action (2026 endorsement) · A New Policy PAC (2026 endorsement) · Track 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
- Her recorded votes appear as badges on this card: No on H.R. 6126, H.R. 8034, H.R. 8369, and H.R. 7217; No on the amendment to cut $500 million for Israeli missile-defense programs; Yes on the 2026 amendment to cut $3.3 billion from aid to Israel.
- [Action, 2025-03-31 and 2025-06-05] Her offensive-weapons-sales legislation and the Block the Bombs Act co-lead with Reps. Ramirez, Jacobs, and Pocan; her own release and the co-leads’ releases.
- [Position, 2024-05-08] The withholding-commendation statement, verified by page; defensive-systems support noted there stays off the front.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
- [Position, 2025-08-05] The genocide statement’s starvation and humanitarian-aid demands, verified.
Characterization of the conflict
- [Position, 2025-08-05] The genocide naming, verified verbatim and quoted on the card.
- [Position, 2023-07-15/16] The racist-state remark and her clarification, verified on her own site; pre-window material carried with both halves.
- [Position, 2024-10-07] The anniversary statement, verified.
- Her October 25, 2023 H.Res. 771 statement is not on the card summary.
Related rhetoric and lobbying
- [Reported / awaiting human check, 2026] Her anti-AIPAC campaign messaging: a May 2026 fundraising message (a partisan-opinion source, marked uncorroborated in the research), an August 2026 Facebook video (her own account, not yet confirmed), and an EL PAÍS interview (marked uncorroborated in the research). Direction consistent with her verified record; none quoted.
- [Attributed, 2026-08-13] The Hasan Piker cancellation criticism, verified via Jewish Insider, with the criticism of her position carried as the critics’.
Safety and antisemitism
- [Position, 2024-10-07] The eradicating-antisemitism passage, verified.
- [Context, 2022-05] The Progressive Caucus endorsement-criteria review that drew pro-Israel scrutiny; aggregator source, reported, not confirmed directly.
Race and status context
- Sitting member, nominated in a safe seat. Her Republican challenger’s card carries its own record.
Also in this race
- ?Mixed Nirav Sheth (Republican)
All Washington candidates.
See everyone on the Washington 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.