Jack Schlossberg backs Block the Bombs Act after doubts

Jack Schlossberg, a Democratic candidate seeking Jerry Nadler’s open House seat in Manhattan, says “as of today” he would support the Block the Bombs Act, reversing earlier skepticism and amid a campaign trail marked by shifting positions on U.S. weapons aid t

When Jack Schlossberg walked into a debate on Tuesday evening, he brought a sentence that lands hard in a race where Israel policy has been the center of everything.

“As of today,” the 33-year-old Kennedy grandson pledged he would vote in support of the Block the Bombs Act.

The legislation would impose unprecedented new restrictions on weapons sales or transfers to Israel. It is a controversial bill backed by a growing number of left-wing House Democrats—while Schlossberg, until now, had shown clear uncertainty about it.

In the debate, he framed his decision as something more than a tactical adjustment. He said rejecting offensive weapons is a response to “a moral question that is being put to our country right now.”

He also moved to reinforce another part of his platform: continued U.S. funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile-defense system. Schlossberg said that position reflects a commitment to “protect civilian lives as best we can” in the region.

That combination—backing restrictions on weapons transfers while continuing support for missile defense—now sets him apart from the rest of the crowded field in the June 23 primary, where rival candidates have refused to endorse the same legislation.

By comparison, Schlossberg’s top rivals—including state Assemblymembers Micah Lasher and Alex Bores and former GOP attorney George Conway—declined to support the Block the Bombs Act at the debate.

The shift is especially striking because Schlossberg’s own prior statements show how unsettled his stance has been.

In a January questionnaire, he wrote that he was “unsure” whether he would support the Block the Bombs Act. He argued the bill “would not provide an avenue to peace and stability.”

Even as he has frequently voiced objections to future weapons sales to Israel, he had not publicly backed the Block the Bombs Act until Tuesday’s debate, marking a clear divide in how he’s been talking about offensive arms.

His campaign did not respond to a request for comment about his evolution on the legislation.

The episode also adds another layer to tensions that have followed him throughout the campaign to succeed retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) in a heavily Jewish House district. Schlossberg has criticized Lasher and Bores for opposing efforts to condition military aid to Israel that single out the Jewish state.

But that criticism has collided with his own changing message.

Last month, he claimed on social media that he supports “no weapons to Israel.” Yet he has reportedly said something different behind closed doors.

According to audio of a May meeting obtained by Politico, Schlossberg told members at a private social club on the Upper East Side that he “probably would have continued funding Israel’s offensive weaponry within the years following Oct. 7.”

Schlossberg’s campaign told Politico that his “views have evolved as the situation has.”

In response, Schlossberg insisted through a series of social media posts that his views were misrepresented, and that his stance on offensive aid has been consistent. He also said his “position has changed as the situation does.”

Earlier in the campaign. during a candidate forum in January. he took a more cautious tone on aid to Israel overall. He called Israel “a strong democratic ally historically to the United States. ” and said. “I would want to have a full intelligence briefing to try to understand the situation before supporting any specific legislation.”.

Jack Schlossberg Block the Bombs Act Israel Iron Dome U.S. weapons sales Manhattan House race Jerry Nadler Micah Lasher Alex Bores George Conway