The U.S. Senate has rejected three resolutions introduced by independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont that sought to block the sale of approximately $20 billion in arms to Israel.
One year after Hamas launched its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Sanders put forward the three Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRDs) in late September. In response to the attack, Israel’s military carried out an extensive air and ground campaign in Gaza. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the ongoing conflict has resulted in over 43,000 deaths.
Gaza has suffered severe devastation, with United Nations officials warning that a famine is imminent as more than two million Palestinians experience extreme hunger.
During an impassioned speech on the Senate floor, Sanders urged lawmakers to recognize the worsening humanitarian crisis and reconsider the United States’ role in supporting what he called “mass starvation.”
Despite his efforts, Sanders’ S.J. Res. 111 was overwhelmingly voted down, with 18 senators in favor and 79 opposed. Given Israel’s strong support in the Senate, the measures were widely expected to fail. However, the votes highlighted growing divisions among Democrats regarding President Joe Biden’s stance on the war.
Sanders, who has been a vocal critic of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military policies and restrictions on aid, accused Israel of violating international law and exceeding its right to self-defense.
He has also repeatedly expressed frustration with the Biden administration, arguing that its continued support for Israel lacks accountability.
The three resolutions sought to prevent the transfer of U.S. military equipment, including tank rounds, water rounds, and precision-guidance kits for bombs dropped in Gaza. At a press conference alongside Senators Peter Welch, Chris Van Hollen, and Jeff Merkley, Sanders argued that the U.S. is actively complicit in the war and its associated human rights violations.
If passed, the resolutions would have halted a portion of U.S. arms sales to Israel, which have contributed to the more than $310 billion in economic and military assistance provided by the United States to Israel since its founding. According to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), at least $228 billion of that total has been in military aid, reinforcing the deep U.S.-Israel alliance.
On the eve of the vote, Sanders accused the U.S. government of violating both the Foreign Assistance Act and the Arms Export Control Act by supplying weapons to a country that, he claimed, has committed internationally recognized human rights abuses and blocked U.S. humanitarian assistance.
The United Nations and multiple humanitarian organizations have criticized Israel’s restrictions on aid deliveries, despite Israel’s insistence that it has facilitated humanitarian assistance, including food shipments.
In an opinion piece published by The Washington Post this week, Sanders wrote, “The need is greater than at any other time in the conflict; the volume of aid getting into Gaza in recent weeks is lower than at any point since the war began.”
He further stated, “All of this is unspeakable and immoral. But what makes it even more painful is that much of this death and destruction has been carried out with U.S. weaponry and paid for by American taxpayers. During the last year alone, the United States has provided $18 billion in military aid to Israel and delivered more than 50,000 tons of armaments and military equipment. Something has to be done, and something must be done by the United States.”
Despite the failure of the resolutions, Sanders’ efforts have underscored a growing debate in Congress over the extent of U.S. support for Israel amid the ongoing conflict.
