US Senate overwhelmingly votes down Sanders’ motions to block arms sales to Israel

The US Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly rejected a pair of resolutions by progressive Senator Bernie Sanders aimed at blocking the transfer of weapons to Israel, with the minority of Democrats voting in favor falling 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 the Senate and the still small minority of Democrats willing to vote against Israel. However, such votes are often framed as a litmus test on how much the Democratic Party is shifting in its support for Israel, and in particular, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

Republican President Donald Trump’s replacement of Joe Biden in the White House does not appear to have significantly effected Thursday’s voting.

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 of one of them

Among the four senators who voted in favor of Sanders’s resolutions in November and who who flipped their votes on Thursday to “No” was Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia, who is likely to face an intense reelection challenge from Republicans in 2026.

The others were fellow Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen — who announced earlier this month she will not seek reelection next year — and Maine Senator Angus King, an Independent who caucuses with Democrats.

One of the more notable “Yes” votes was freshman New Jersey Senator 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 fourteen Democrats who voted in favor of blocking weapons to Israel were Mazie Hirono, Ben Ray Luján, Bernie Sanders, 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 to 15 and the second resolution was blocked by a vote of 83 to 15. Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin voted present, as she did in all three of Sanders’s resolutions in November.

In remarks urging support for the resolutions, Sanders described the toll on civilians, saying thousands of children were facing malnutrition and starvation, especially from a recent blockade of humanitarian assistance.

“What is happening right now is unthinkable. Today it is 31 days and counting with absolutely no humanitarian aid getting into Gaza, nothing. No food, no water, no medicine, no fuel, for over a month,” Sanders said.

The suspension, which Israel says is aimed at pressuring Hamas in ongoing hostage talks, applies to food, medicine and fuel imports.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman James Risch of Idaho urged defeat of Sanders’s resolutions, saying, “They would abandon Israel, our closest ally in the Middle East, during a pivotal moment for global security.”

Trump began his second term by reversing his predecessor Biden’s efforts to place some limits on what arms are sent to Israel. Trump in February sidestepped the congressional review process to approve billions of dollars in military sales to Israel.

US law gives Congress the right to stop major foreign weapons sales by passing resolutions of disapproval. Although no such resolution has both passed Congress and survived a presidential veto, the law requires the Senate to vote if a resolution is filed. Such resolutions have at times led to angry debates embarrassing to past presidents.

Israel launched its offensive against Hamas after the terror group’s October 7 onslaught killed 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostage.

More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli campaign in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, whose figures aren’t verified and don’t differentiate between civilians and combatants. The ministry says over 1,000 have been killed since Israel resumed military operations in Gaza on March 18, collapsing a fragile truce after two months.

The truce was supposed to transition on March 2 to its second phase, which would have seen a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire, but Israel sought to rework the terms to instead extend the first phase. Hamas has insisted in sticking to the original terms of the deal, leading to the drawn-out stalemate.

Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble, leaving hundreds of thousands of people sheltering in tents or bombed-out buildings.

Reuters contributed to this report.