2026 Congress Scorecard Methodology

The US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action (USCPR Action) has developed a comprehensive Palestine Congress Scorecard for advocates, civil society, and policymakers to understand where Members of Congress stand on Palestine.

USCPR Action conducted a thorough assessment of the record of each Member of Congress in the Democratic Caucus, evaluating their votes, letters, and other legislative action related to Palestinian rights and the issue area of Palestine and Israel.

This scorecard provides a lifetime grade and a 119th Congress grade for each Democratic Member of Congress that includes all relevant and corresponding legislative action. Lifetime grades include all relevant legislative action during and prior to the 119th Congress between 2023 and 2026, and the 119th Congress grade only accounts for legislative action during the current session.

The grade system is a combination of votes, letters, and other legislative action that align with Palestinian rights. Individuals with an A and B have mostly aligned with USCPR Action’s assessment on Palestinian rights. Individuals with a C have areas to improve to demonstrate a commitment to Palestinian rights. Individuals with a D and F have failed to demonstrate a commitment to Palestinian rights and contribute to the dehumanization of Palestinians. Regardless of an individual’s grade, we encourage Members to take tangible and measurable steps to drastically improve their rankings.

Legislative Actions Considered 

USCPR Action cumulatively examined hundreds of pieces of legislation, letters, and votes in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate.

Legislative actions include sponsoring or not sponsoring legislation, voting yes or no for legislation, and signing on to or not signing on to letters.

USCPR Action examined all legislative action related to Palestine, including:

  • Advancing Palestinian rights

  • Blocking weapons transfers to the Israeli military

  • Ending military funding to Israel

  • Demanding a permanent ceasefire and immediate humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza

  • Supporting an end of Israel’s military occupation and blockade of Palestine

  • Holding Israeli settlers accountable for settler violence and settlement expansion

  • Seeking accountability for U.S. citizens targeted by the Israeli government

  • Condemning anti-Palestinian racism and violence against Palestinian Americans

  • Recognizing the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people

  • Respecting international obligations.

For the “Supports Arms Embargo” field, USCPR Action documented a “YES” for Members of Congress who have taken one of the following legislative actions to block weapons and military funding to Israel:

  • Cosponsoring the Block the Bombs Act (H.R. 3565) in the House

  • Voting for one or more joint resolutions of disapproval to block bombs to Israel in the Senate.

Calculation

Grades are a combination of all legislative action. Each vote, letter, and other legislative action is weighed according to USCPR Action’s desired position and outcome. Our scorecard also factors in whether Members of Congress support an arms embargo, whether they recognize Israel is committing genocide, and whether they’ve introduced legislation in support of Palestinian rights.

For votes, a “yes” vote and a “no” vote hold the same weight, with a “present” vote counting as half of a yes vote. Certain circumstances where a Member provides an explanation for a present vote or absent vote that aligns with USCPR Action’s position may also be factored into final considerations.

While signing on to congressional letters are subjected to certain internal factors, USCPR Action believes it is important to include because of their impact on legislative processes and oversight authority. We recognize that some Members of Congress who most align with USCPR Action’s priorities may sometimes miss an opportunity to sign on to a letter. As a result, all legislative actions toward letters are the smallest weighted component of the overall lifetime grades. Certain letters will be subjected to greater scrutiny or support depending on the subject matter or external entity that is seeking to advance it.

It is important to note that letters and legislation are often developed by special interest groups and pushed by foreign governments, when their interests are directly implicated, especially toward recent legislative actions following October 2023.

Anti-Palestinian Dollars

Members of Congress receive contributions from various ideological, single-issue sectors to either influence legislative actions or positions toward a specific issue. One of the largest ideological, single-issue sectors in the political landscape is the Pro-Israel sector, which includes entities who collectively provide tens of millions of dollars in anti-Palestinian contributions to influence policies and actions toward Palestine and Israel.

Using 2024 election cycle data from Open Secrets, our scorecard has tracked contributions from anti-Palestinian lobby groups—namely AIPAC, Democratic Majority for Israel, J Street, NORPAC, and Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs—to Members of Congress. These contributions are made primarily to Democrats, even during years when Republicans controlled the White House and Congress. Groups in the Pro-Israel sector have flooded races with anti-Palestinian contributions to support Members of Congress who align with their interests and objectives.

Beyond annual election cycles, anti-Palestinian contributions are given to Members of Congress who demonstrate support for Israel during current events. For example, Members of Congress who were more supportive of Israel during the end of 2023 received over $100,000 more on average from pro-Israel donors during their last election than those who most supported Palestine, according to data analyzed.

Additional Factors

Congress experiences an increase in legislative action on Palestine and Israel, Palestinians, and Palestinian rights during certain moments—often during intense escalations by the Israeli occupation.

The 118th Congress between October 2023 and February 2024 witnessed dozens of legislative actions on these areas. While roll call votes on the House and Senate floor have garnered the most attention, Members of Congress and special interest groups have pushed a wide array of legislative actions that are either harmful or beneficial to Palestinians.

Importance of Palestinian-led Resources

Palestinian-led organizations and Palestinian experts within the policy space have largely been excluded from the policymaking process.

As a result, Congress has remained grossly misinformed on the root causes and current situation on the ground in Palestine and Israel due to its relationship to special interest groups, a foreign government, and foreign agents within the anti-Palestinian sector (also referred to as Pro-Israel sector).

USCPR Action’s scorecard illustrates the need for Members of Congress to engage Palestinian-led organizations and Palestinian experts on issues pertaining to Palestinian human rights.

Acknowledgments

USCPR Action acknowledges assistance and contributions from community members and people in solidarity with Palestinians for their help in developing our first interactive and comprehensive resource for constituents to understand where their members stand on Palestine and Palestinian rights.

We would like to also thank members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) for tracking legislative developments related to Gaza here since October 2023.

Scorecard Corrections

Members of Congress and others can formally request a correction to the data presented in the scorecard. Please contact USCPR Action here for any corrections.

USCPR Action requires verified proofs of correction to be submitted by a staffer with authorization to engage on behalf of an office, campaign, or relevant organization. Verified proofs of correction include:

  • official website from a member office;

  • official correspondence (ie letter, social media post, etc.) signed by or directly from an elected official; and/or,

  • other forms of communication that include a signed and verified note from an elected official.