Summary

Peter Welch was born in 1947 and is currently serving as the junior United States Senator from Vermont. His seat will be up for election in 2028.

A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected in the U.S. Senate in 2022 and took office in 2023. Prior to that, from 2007 to 2023, Welch served as the U.S. representative for Vermont’s at-large congressional district. Welch was a member of the Vermont Senate from 1981 to 1989, including terms as minority leader, and again from 2001 to 2007. In 2006, Welch was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, succeeding Bernie Sanders, who was elected to the United States Senate. In 2022, Welch ran successfully in United States Senate election in Vermont to succeed retiring Senator Patrick Leahy.

Below is Senator Peter Welch’s voting record and public positions on issues important to the Jewish community.

Senator Welch condemned the October 7th attacks by Hamas as “a monumental atrocity,” while has also criticized Israel for the extensive destruction in Gaza. In a joint letter to President Biden in November 2023, referring to Israel’s operation, Welch expressed “serious concerns about what this invasion and potential occupation of Gaza will mean, both in terms of the long-term security of Israel and the well-being of the Palestinian residents of Gaza.”

On November 26, 2023, Welch called for an indefinite ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas. He was the third U.S. senator, the second member of Vermont’s congressional delegation, and the first senator from Vermont to do so.

In a statement in January 2024, Senator Welch endorsed the idea of withholding aid to Israel to make it to change its policy. He specifically asked, “how much worse does the situation have to get in Gaza, and how much wider of a war in the Middle East, before we use this country’s considerable leverage—including withholding additional lethal aid—to get Israel to stop its bombing campaign.”

Senator Welch is supportive of the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and a handful of Arab nations, stating “that’s really good in terms of Israel and the Arab states having relationships.”

In January 2024, Welch voted for a resolution, proposed by Senator Bernie Sanders, to condition U.S. aid to Israel based on delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza, a proposal that was defeated 72 to 11.

Senator Welch has supported in the past measures to oppose the delegitimization of Israel and the global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement targeting Israel.