Senate Blocks Sanders’ Move to Stop Arms Sales to Israel Amid Gaza Controversy

On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate voted against a series of joint resolutions introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders aimed at halting the sale of specific offensive weapons to Israel, citing the death of approximately 44,000 Palestinians in Gaza since the previous fall.

The resolutions, S.J. Res. 111, S.J. Res. 113, and S.J. Res. 115, sought to block the sales of 120mm tank rounds, 120mm high-explosive mortar rounds, and Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), along with guidance kits for conventional bombs.

The initial vote tallied at 18-79, with Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) voting present. Senators Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and JD Vance (R-Ohio), the incoming vice-president, did not participate. Joining Sanders (I-Vt.) in support were Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Angus King (I-Maine), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.).

The second vote concluded at 19-78, with Senator George Helmy (D-N.J.) joining the supporters. The third vote ended at 17-80.

“The atrocities committed in Gaza by this extremist government are horrific, and the involvement of U.S. weapons and taxpayer money only adds to the agony.”

Before the voting, Sanders emphasized on the Senate floor that his resolutions had the backing of over 100 organizations, including the pro-Israel J Street, major labor groups like the Service Employees International Union, United Auto Workers, and United Electrical Workers, as well as Amnesty International and various faith-based groups.

“Numerous polls reveal that a significant majority of Americans oppose further arms and military support for Netanyahu’s aggressive actions,” Sanders remarked, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “A poll by J Street found that 62% of Jewish Americans favor withholding weapon shipments to Israel until Netanyahu agrees to an immediate ceasefire.”

Sanders also stressed that his proposals would not impact Israel’s defensive capabilities against attacks but argued from a legal standpoint that “these resolutions are straightforward and uncomplicated. The fundamental issue here is that the U.S. government must adhere to the law, which is not a radical notion, though currently overlooked.”

“Both the Foreign Assistance Act and the Arms Export Control Act explicitly prohibit the U.S. from supplying weapons to nations that violate internationally recognized human rights or obstruct U.S. humanitarian efforts,” he continued. “According to the UN, much of the international community, and nearly every humanitarian organization in Gaza, Israel is clearly violating these statutes.”

Highlighting the grave consequences of the Israeli assault on Gaza, which has led to a genocide case at the International Court of Justice, Sanders cited an opinion piece in the New York Times penned by American doctors who served in Gaza. Dr. Ndal Farah from Ohio described widespread malnutrition and patients with skeletal features reminiscent of those in Nazi concentration camps.

Sanders lamented, “The horrifying actions of this extremist government in Gaza, facilitated by U.S. weaponry and taxpayer dollars, are deeply troubling. In the past year, the U.S. has provided $18 billion in military aid to Israel, while just blocks from here, people are homeless and sleeping on the streets.”

“We’ve also shipped over 50,000 tons of military equipment to Israel,” he added. “In essence, the United States is complicit in these atrocities. We’re funding them. This complicity must end, and that is the purpose of these resolutions.”

Senators Merkley, Van Hollen, and Welch supported Sanders’ stance in the discussions. However, members from both parties opposed the resolutions, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senators Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), John Kennedy (R-La.), James Risch (R-Idaho), and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.).

Cardin echoed White House talking points reported earlier that day by HuffPost. The administration suggested that voting against the arms resolutions would empower foes of the U.S. and Israel, from Iran to militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, which are considered terrorist organizations by the U.S.

Just before the Senate debate, the Biden administration vetoed a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for the fourth time since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

After the Senate votes, organizations supporting Sanders’ resolutions expressed their disappointment.

Wa’el Alzayat, CEO of the Muslim advocacy group Emgage Action, stated, “We have a moral obligation to support the people of Gaza and demand an end to their relentless bombardment. I am deeply saddened that our senators rejected the resolutions to stop weapons sales to Israel. Our taxpayer dollars should be allocated to funding education, housing, and healthcare for Americans, not supporting the destruction of innocent lives abroad.”

“Continuing to provide Israel with unrestricted military aid for attacks on civilians in Gaza and Lebanon is a moral failure—a failure that the American government will regret as the situation worsens,” Alzayat added. “Although the resolution did not pass this time, we will persist in working with lawmakers and allies to push for legislation that upholds justice and international law.”

Despite the failure of these resolutions to advance to the House of Representatives, Cavan Kharrazian, senior policy adviser at Demand Progress, noted, “This is the first time so many senators have voted to restrict arms transfers to Israel, and we are incredibly thankful to those who did. This historic vote signifies a transformative shift in how Democratic lawmakers view the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza.”

“We have all witnessed the devastation—thousands of innocent civilians killed, displaced, and starved by weapons funded by U.S. taxpayers,” Kharrazian said. “Nearly half of the Senate Democratic caucus now supports our collective outrage with their votes. Proponents of this destructive war may claim victory, but even they must recognize that the movement to end the war is growing, both across America and within Congress, and we will not relent.”

Matt Duss, executive vice president of the Center for International Policy and former foreign policy adviser to Sanders, also praised the progress, commending those who voted for the resolutions for “having the courage to stand up for U.S. law, civilian rights in conflict zones, and basic human decency.”

“As civilian casualties, displacement, and disease among Palestinians in Gaza increase, alongside open calls for ethnic cleansing by Israeli officials, the Biden administration is not just failing to act—it is actively enabling the Netanyahu government’s war crimes,” he stated. “Instead of promoting democracy, rights, and the rule of law at home and abroad ahead of [President-elect] Donald Trump’s second term, President Biden and his top officials are spending their final days in office lobbying against protective measures and vetoing otherwise unanimously supported resolutions in the United Nations Security Council that reflect its own stated policies.”

“The lawmakers who stood on the right side of history today will be remembered for their leadership and humanity,” he concluded. “The same cannot be said about President Biden and those who assist him in perpetuating starvation and slaughter in Gaza.”