2024 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 each Member of Congress’s record on 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 118th Congress grade for each Member of Congress that includes all relevant and corresponding legislative action. Lifetime grades include all relevant legislative action during and prior to the 118th Congress between 2023 and 2025, and the 118th 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 Palestinians rights. Individuals with a D and F have failed to demonstrate a commitment to Palestinians 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, signing onto or not signing onto letters, and calling for a ceasefire.
USCPR Action examined all legislative action related to Palestine, including:
Advancing Palestinian rights
Ending military funding to Israel
Demanding a 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
Respecting international obligations
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.
For votes, a “yes” vote and a “no” vote hold the same weight, with a “present” or no vote counting as half of a yes or no 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 onto 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 not sign onto a letter but fail to sign onto a letter. As a result, all legislative actions toward letters are the smallest weighted component of the overall 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 interests groups and pushed by foreign governments, when their interests are directly implicated, especially toward recent legislative actions following October 2023.
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 interests 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 interests 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 rather than certain special interests groups.
Acknowledgements
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.