The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected two resolutions introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) to halt arms transfers to Israel. But while the measures failed, they marked a watershed moment in Congress: for the first time, a majority of Senate Democrats voted to block the shipment of American weapons to Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
Twenty-four senators voted in favor of a resolution to block the sale of $700 million in bombs and Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) to Israel, while 27 senators supported a separate resolution targeting the transfer of tens of thousands of assault rifles. Both resolutions were defeated, with 73 senators—17 of them Democrats—voting against the bomb sale and 70 senators opposing the rifle ban. All Senate Republicans voted against both measures. Three Democrats were absent, including Elissa Slotkin (D-Michigan), who missed the vote while appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where she discussed the importance of ending Israel’s humanitarian blockade.
The votes come as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza reaches new levels of devastation. Since October 2023, more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s bombardment and blockade of the enclave, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. At least 154 people, including 89 children, have died of starvation or malnutrition, while more than 20,000 children have been treated for acute malnutrition since April, according to the United Nations. Hundreds of Palestinians have reportedly been shot while attempting to reach food at aid distribution sites.
Sanders described the votes as a milestone in the growing political reckoning over U.S. complicity in the war. “The tide is turning. The American people do not want to spend billions to starve children in Gaza,” Sanders said after the vote. “The Democrats are moving forward on this issue, and I look forward to Republican support in the near future.”
Those who voted in support of both resolutions include Senators Angela Alsobrooks, Tammy Baldwin, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Tammy Duckworth, Dick Durbin, Martin Heinrich, Mazie Hirono, Tim Kaine, Andy Kim, Amy Klobuchar, Ben Ray Luján, Ed Markey, Jeff Merkley, Chris Murphy, Patty Murray, Brian Schatz, Jeanne Shaheen, Tina Smith, Chris Van Hollen, Raphael Warnock, Elizabeth Warren, and Peter Welch. Senator Angus King, an independent from Maine who caucuses with Democrats, also voted yes on both. Senators Jon Ossoff, Jack Reed, and Sheldon Whitehouse voted only in favor of blocking the assault rifle sales.
In April, similar resolutions from Sanders to block U.S. bomb transfers to Israel drew only 15 votes, showing a sharp increase in support within the Democratic caucus. This change is occurring as Israel’s actions in Gaza come under mounting international and domestic criticism, including from many within the Democratic base.
Yet despite this growing discontent, many senators who had signed a letter just two days prior expressing concern over the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza ultimately voted against Sanders’s resolutions. The letter, signed by 40 Senate Democrats, called on the Trump administration to alleviate starvation and decried the “acute humanitarian crisis” in Gaza. But several signatories—including Senators Michael Bennet, Richard Blumenthal, Cory Booker, Maria Cantwell, Chris Coons, Kirsten Gillibrand, John Hickenlooper, and Chuck Schumer—voted “no” or were absent when it came time to support concrete action.
Lily Greenberg Call, a Jewish Biden administration appointee who resigned in May 2024 over the administration’s support for Israel’s campaign in Gaza, criticized this disconnect. “This vote is a significant step towards accountability and change in U.S. foreign policy, however it is just a first step,” she said in a statement. “Every senator who voted yes must continue to stand in moral courage, and everyone who voted no should expect consequences at the ballot box.”
Several senators explained their shift in position. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, who has historically supported military assistance to Israel, wrote, “The humanitarian conditions in Gaza are appalling, unconscionable, and cruel. Humanitarian aid must start immediately.” Senator Patty Murray of Washington said, “As a longtime friend and supporter of Israel, I am voting yes to send a message: the Netanyahu government cannot continue with this strategy.”
Meanwhile, those who voted against the measures defended their decisions. Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey argued that the resolution would “restrict our country’s ability to provide future security guarantees without achieving the goal of ending this war now or increasing vital humanitarian aid.”
Polling shows that the Democratic Party’s base is far ahead of its elected leaders when it comes to opposing U.S. support for Israel’s military operations. A July Gallup poll found that only 8 percent of Democrats support Israel’s actions in Gaza, compared to 71 percent of Republicans. Overall U.S. public approval for the war has fallen to 32 percent, the lowest recorded since the conflict began.
Matt Duss, executive vice president at the Center for International Policy and former foreign policy adviser to Sanders, said the votes signaled recognition of the “severity of the crisis” in Gaza. “If you look at the actual views of Democrats on Gaza, there is a super majority of Democratic voters who oppose the war in Gaza. Unfortunately, that’s not reflected in the actual Democratic membership of Congress, but that’s changing,” Duss said. “It may take a long time, but it’s definitely coming.”
Still, all Senate Republicans opposed the resolutions. “These are misguided resolutions and if adopted would reinstate the failed policies of the Biden administration and would abandon America’s closest ally in the Middle East,” said Republican Senator James Risch of Idaho, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Despite this unified front in the Senate, cracks are beginning to emerge within the Republican Party. Outside of the Senate, conservative lawmakers such as Rep. Thomas Massie and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene have broken from GOP orthodoxy. Massie tweeted in May that “nothing” could “justify the number of civilian casualties.” Greene went further on Monday, calling the crisis in Gaza a “genocide”—a marked shift from her past support for censoring Rep. Rashida Tlaib for her criticism of Israel.
“There are a number of members of Congress…who are raising real questions about why America is so deeply embedded in this region and so closely tied to Israel,” said Duss. “That’s what’s driving some of these rising questions within the Republican Party, and that will continue as well.”
The humanitarian toll in Gaza continues to mount. The Israeli military’s near-total blockade of Gaza, implemented in March, has severely restricted food, fuel, and humanitarian supplies. Although crossings reopened under new restrictions in April, aid groups say the volume of aid remains vastly insufficient. A U.N.-backed body warned this week of a “famine scenario” unfolding in Gaza, though it has not officially declared a famine.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied allegations that Israeli policy is causing starvation. “There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza. We enable humanitarian aid throughout the duration of the war to enter Gaza—otherwise, there would be no Gazans,” he said Sunday. Netanyahu also claimed Hamas has been stealing aid shipments.
President Donald Trump publicly disagreed with Netanyahu’s assessment, saying Monday that he did “not particularly” agree with the claim that there is “no starvation in Gaza.” “I see it, and you can’t fake that,” Trump said. “So, we’re going to be even more involved.” He pledged to open food centers in the region.
Though the Sanders resolutions failed, the votes represent a clear break from historic norms in U.S. foreign policy toward Israel. The increased willingness among Senate Democrats to publicly oppose weapons transfers may be a sign of deeper changes to come.
As Greenberg Call warned, accountability may not end on the Senate floor. “Everyone who voted no should expect consequences at the ballot box.”
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