In a sign of mounting apprehension over Israel’s war in Gaza, a majority of Senate Democrats voted in favor of resolutions to block U.S. weapons sales to Israel on Wednesday. Despite this growing support, the measures failed by wide margins in the Republican-controlled chamber.
The two resolutions were pushed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I‑Vt, and sought to stop specific arms sales. The resolutions moved to block a $675.7 million package that included thousands of bombs and precision‑guidance kits and a separate sale of tens of thousands of fully automatic assault rifles. The first measure failed by a vote of 27‑70; the second 24‑73.
The votes marked the third time in the last year that Sanders has forced senators to go on record over arms sales to Israel. The vote totals on Wednesday were markedly different from earlier gut-checks. Eighteen senators backed a resolution in November 2024, but the number dropped to 15 in April.
“This resolution is absolutely necessary because the United States will have no credibility in the international community if we don’t stand up against this,” Sanders said on Wednesday.
The votes came amid worsening famine conditions in Gaza and rising international condemnation of Israel’s restrictions on aid. A United Nations-affiliated organization that tracks global food insecurity said earlier this week that only “immediate, unimpeded” humanitarian access into the besieged strip could prevent rapidly increasing “starvation and death.” Some Democrats pointed to the dire situation as a leading cause for their vote in support of Sanders’ resolutions.
“Netanyahu has prolonged this war at every turn to stay in power,” said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., in a statement. “We are witnessing a man-made famine in Gaza—children and families should not be dying from starvation or disease when literal tons of aid and supplies are just sitting across the border.”
“I cannot defend the indefensible. Israel’s actions in the conduct of the war in Gaza, especially its failure to address the unimaginable humanitarian crisis now unfolding, is an affront to human decency. What appears to be a deliberately-induced famine among a civilian population—including tens of thousands of starving children—can never be an acceptable military strategy,” Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said earlier this week.
One of the most notable “yes” votes came from Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In a statement, she said that she would continue to stand up for Israel’s safety but “cannot in good conscience vote in support of weapons until the human anguish in Gaza comes to an end.”
Senate Foreign Relations Chair Jim Risch, R‑Idaho, argued on the floor that halting arms sales would undermine Israel’s ability to defend itself against Hamas, calling them “misguided resolutions” that would “abandon” Israel.
