Overwhelming Majority of Senate Democrats Vote To Block Military Sales to Israel, Representing a Shift From Past

Senate Democrats on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to block military aid sales to Israel despite the caucus’s past support for such actions. Across votes on two resolutions on Wednesday, 40 of the chamber’s 47 Democratic Caucus members — or more than 80 percent — voted for at least one measure to block those sales. The votes on Wednesday mark a notable shift for Democrats on Capitol Hill who, for the most part, have been supportive of the Israeli military’s actions in the past. Just over one year ago, a minority of the Senate Democratic Caucus voted to continue military equipment sales to Israel. Now, Democrats now say they cannot stomach Israel’s strikes in Iran and Lebanon. “Let us be clear: given the horrific and illegal behavior of the Netanyahu government over the last three years, the American people have had enough,” Senator Bernie Sanders, the author of the arms sale disapproval resolutions, said in a video posted to X. One of Mr. Sanders’ resolutions would have blocked the sale of 1,000-pound bombs, while another would have blocked the sale of bulldozers, which have been used to demolish homes in the West Bank. “In my view, the time is long overdue for the Senate and the House to have the courage to stand up to AIPAC … which spent nearly $127 million in the last election cycle to defeat members of Congress who stood up to Netanyahu and his atrocious policies,” Mr. Sanders said in his direct-to-camera video. On the first resolution — a measure to block the sale of D9R and D9T Caterpillar bulldozers to Israel — a total of 40 members of the Democratic Caucus voted for Mr. Sanders’ measure. Only seven Democrats voted no on that resolution. Mr. Sanders, a democratic socialist, and Senator Angus King, who is an independent from Maine and who caucuses with the Democrats, both voted for the two resolutions. The second resolution, which would have prevented the sale of 1,000-pound bombs, received 36 votes from Senate Democrats. Four lawmakers — Senators Gary Peters, Jack Reed, Mark Warner, and Sheldon Whitehouse — voted to block the bulldozer sales, but not the sale of the bombs. The votes to block these sales to Israel marks a notable change from the caucus’s past stance. In November 2024, Mr. Sanders offered a similar resolution to block tank munition sales to Israel. That resolution received only 18 votes on the Senate floor, or just about 36 percent of the Senate Democratic Caucus at the time. Despite the overwhelming majority of Senate Democrats voting to block the sale of bulldozers and 1,000-pound bombs to Israel on Wednesday, one “no” vote stands out — that of Senator Chuck Schumer, the minority leader and head of the Senate Democratic Caucus. Mr. Schumer, who is not up for re-election until 2028, is already facing the prospect of being challenged by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the Democratic primary, should he choose to run. As of today, Mr. Schumer receives poor marks from his fellow New York Democrats, according to recent polls. The most recent Siena College poll shows that Mr. Schumer has an approval rating of only 51 percent among New York Democrats — 15 points behind Mayor Mamdani.

Overwhelming Majority of Senate Democrats Vote To Block Military Sales to Israel, Representing a Shift From Past

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