Matt Van Epps
R · U.S. House, TN-7 · Tier 1/2
Tier 1/2, between “Firmly pro-Israel” and “Mainstream pro-Israel”
War on Terror veteran who won the December 2025 special election and sits on Homeland Security and Science, Space, and Technology. His campaign site’s “Standing with Israel” plank calls Israel “America's closest ally in the Middle East” and pledges to “ensure Israel has what it needs to defend itself”; in October 2025 he congratulated Trump on the Gaza deal — “With a ceasefire and the return of all hostages, @POTUS is leading the way towards healing” — and in 2026 he cosponsored the U.S.-Israel FUTURES Act (H.R.7540), the U.S.-Israel Defense Partnership Act (H.R.1229) and the Jewish American Security Act (H.R.9211). He voted against the July 2026 Massie amendment to strip Israel’s military financing, for the FY2027 State Department appropriations bill that carried it, for the September 2026 anti-boycott bill and against every 2026 Iran and Lebanon war-powers resolution; his press releases contain no statement on Israel, Gaza or Palestinians.
A 1/2, not a clean 1. His votes are all on the pro-Israel side and his Israel words are a campaign pledge that Israel will have what it needs to defend itself and praise for Trump’s Gaza deal that names no Palestinian civilians, which rules out a flat 2. He has written no Israel legislation — his one terrorism bill to pass the House names no country — and his Israel bills are cosponsorships, so there is no leadership on the issue. Counter-case: with ten months in office, a single authored measure or statement could move him either way.
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elect26 places 2026 midterm candidates on a six-tier spectrum, from 1 (most pro-Israel) to 6 (most critical of Israel).