Senator Bernie Sanders announced Tuesday that he will force Senate votes to block the Trump administration’s latest plan to deliver billions of dollars in bombs and rifles to the Israeli government as its military continues to wage a brutal campaign in Gaza. The votes, scheduled for Wednesday, follow months of growing concern over the humanitarian catastrophe in the besieged territory, where tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed and starvation has reached emergency levels.
“U.S. taxpayers have spent tens of billions of dollars in support of the racist, extremist Netanyahu government. Enough is enough,” Sanders said in a statement. “We cannot continue to spend taxpayer money on a government which has killed some 60,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 143,000—most of whom are women, children, and the elderly. We cannot continue supporting a government which has blocked humanitarian aid, caused massive famine, and literally starved the people of Gaza.”
The proposed arms package includes thousands of 1,000-pound bombs, Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kits, and tens of thousands of assault rifles, along with logistical support equipment. Sanders’ resolutions—S.J.Res.34 and S.J.Res.41—would prohibit the sales under authority granted by the Arms Export Control Act. Because they are privileged resolutions, they cannot be filibustered or amended and require only a simple majority to pass.
“The time is long overdue for Congress to use the leverage we have—tens of billions in arms and military aid—to demand that Israel end these atrocities,” Sanders said. “Continuing these arms sales would violate U.S. laws that prohibit assistance to governments engaged in gross human rights abuses and obstruction of aid.”
Since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term, his administration has approved roughly $12 billion in arms sales to Israel. This includes lifting a Biden-era block on the transfer of 2,000-pound bombs that have been used in deadly strikes on Gaza. Earlier this year, Sanders led a similar—but unsuccessful—effort to stop a $9 billion weapons sale. Only 14 senators, all Democrats, supported that resolution.
The vote on Wednesday could garner more support as Israel faces increased international scrutiny for its conduct in Gaza, where human rights groups and aid organizations say the government is deliberately starving the population and targeting civilians. According to Sanders’ office, the arms sales in question “clearly violate the criteria laid out in the Foreign Assistance Act and the Arms Export Control Act.”
“Reliable human rights monitors have documented numerous incidents involving the use of 1,000-pound bombs and JDAMs in illegal strikes leading to unacceptable civilian death tolls,” Sanders’ office said. “These include strikes in which hundreds of civilians have been killed and strikes on humanitarian facilities, including U.N. schools.”
The resolutions also seek to block the sale of assault rifles intended for Israeli police forces overseen by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Ben-Gvir has been convicted of support for terrorism by an Israeli court and has advocated for the forcible expulsion of Palestinians. He has also overseen the distribution of weapons to settlers in the occupied West Bank, where settler violence has surged.
Support for blocking U.S. arms sales to Israel appears to be growing. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), who did not support Sanders’ previous resolutions, stated this week that he would support halting all aid to Israel unless there is “a demonstrable change in the direction of Israeli policy.”
“My litmus test will be simple: No aid of any kind as long as there are starving children in Gaza due to the action or inaction of the Israeli government,” King said.
Human rights advocates have applauded Sanders for taking action to align U.S. foreign policy with legal standards and humanitarian concerns. “The Israeli military has used U.S.-origin weapons in attacks that have killed Palestinian civilians, destroyed civilian infrastructure, and deepened an ongoing humanitarian catastrophe,” said Hassan El-Tayyab, legislative director for Middle East policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation.
“Continuing these arms sales would violate U.S. laws that prohibit assistance to governments engaged in gross human rights abuses and obstruction of aid,” El-Tayyab added. “This resolution rightly affirms that U.S. weapons must not fuel further atrocities, and that only diplomacy, not more bombs, can bring an end to this crisis.”
The Trump administration has defended its arms deals as necessary to maintain Israel’s military edge, despite mounting concerns about international law violations. Critics argue that U.S. complicity in Israel’s war effort has made the Biden-era commitments to human rights appear hollow and has undermined America’s standing in the region.
If passed, Sanders’ resolutions would mark a rare congressional rebuke of Israeli military policy and set a precedent for restricting offensive military aid to a longtime U.S. ally. With Gaza’s death toll rising and images of malnourished children dominating global media, pressure is mounting on lawmakers to re-evaluate America’s role in enabling the conflict.
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