US Senate overwhelmingly votes down Sanders motions to block weapons transfers to Israel

The US Senate overwhelmingly rejects a pair of motions by progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders aimed at blocking the transfer of weapons to Israel, with the number of Democrats voting in favor slightly shrinking since the last time such an initiative was advanced several months ago.

Sanders’s motions were virtually guaranteed to fail given the Republican majority in Senate and the still small minority of Democrats willing to vote against Israel. However, such votes are often framed as a litmus test to how much the Democratic Party is shifting in its support of Israel, and in particular, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

Donald Trump’s replacement of Joe Biden in the White House does not appear to have significantly affected today’s votes.

Fifteen Democrats voted in favor of two resolutions blocking the sale of $8.8 billion in bombs and munitions to Israel. When Sanders brought similar resolutions before the Senate in November 2024, 19 Democrats voted in favor.

One of the Democrats who flipped their vote was Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is likely to face an intense reelection challenge from Republicans in 2026.

A notable vote in favor of the legislation came from freshman New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim, who has been cast as a more moderate Democrat. He visited Israel earlier this year and has advocated for the release of the hostages.

The other 14 Democrats who voted in favor of blocking weapons to Israel were Sanders, Mazie Hirono, Ben Ray Luján, Chris Van Hollen, Jeff Merkley, Ed Markey, Tim Kaine, Elizabeth Warren, Martin Heinrich, Brian Schatz, Tina Smith, Dick Durbin, Peter Welch and Chris Murphy.

The first resolution was blocked by a vote of 82-15, and the second resolution was blocked by a vote of 83-15.

Explaining his “yes” vote, Schatz said in a statement: “I have always supported Israel’s right to defend itself from serious and enduring threats in the region, and support American security assistance for that purpose, and will continue to do so.”

“While I was encouraged by the ceasefire earlier this year, its breakdown and the Netanyahu government’s devastating actions in Gaza warrant questions around the timing of a sale of large-scale bombs and the current conduct of the war,” Schatz says.