Senate Rejects Sanders’ Effort to Halt Arms Sales to Israel as GOP Pushes Ahead on Trump Agenda
The U.S. Senate on Thursday decisively rejected a trio of resolutions introduced by Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont that sought to block roughly $20 billion in U.S. arms sales to Israel, underscoring the chamber’s continued bipartisan support for America’s closest Middle East ally.
Sanders introduced the three Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRDs) in late December, aiming to prevent the transfer of U.S. tank ammunition, water rounds, and guidance kits used on munitions he described as “bombs dropped in Gaza.” Given Israel’s longstanding support in the upper chamber, the measures were widely expected to fail.
In recent months, Sanders has sharply criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military campaign against Hamas and Israel’s handling of humanitarian aid, accusing the Jewish state of violating international law and exceeding its right to self-defense. Israel has consistently rejected those claims, maintaining that it operates within the bounds of international law while facilitating humanitarian assistance amid a complex urban warzone.
“The United States government is currently in violation of the law, and every member of the U.S. Senate who believes in the rule of law should vote for the resolutions,” Sanders said the day before the vote.
The Vermont Independent further alleged that U.S. arms transfers violate the Foreign Assistance Act and the Arms Export Control Act, which restrict military aid to nations accused of systemic human-rights abuses or of obstructing U.S.-backed humanitarian efforts. The United Nations and several international advocacy groups have echoed those accusations, while Israel has stated it continues to allow food and aid deliveries even as it conducts operations against terrorist forces embedded among civilian populations.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the United States has provided Israel with more than $310 billion in economic and military assistance over the decades, including at least $228 billion in military aid—a reflection of the strategic alliance between the two democracies.
The votes on Sanders’ resolutions came during an unusually packed week on Capitol Hill.
Earlier, the Senate confirmed Maj. Gen. John L. Rafferty Jr. for promotion to lieutenant general and for assignment as commanding general of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. Rafferty, who currently serves as chief of staff at U.S. European Command in Germany, brings more than 33 years of leadership and technical experience, particularly in field artillery and senior command roles.
His past assignments include serving as commanding general of the 56th Artillery Command, U.S. Army Europe-Africa; chief of Army Public Affairs; director of the Long Range Precision Fires Cross Functional Team at Fort Sill; executive officer to the director of the Army Staff; and commander of the 18th Field Artillery Brigade at Fort Bragg. Rafferty has supported multiple major operations, including Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, Spartan Shield, and Inherent Resolve.
He will succeed Lt. Gen. Sean A. Gainey, who is retiring after more than 35 years of service.
The confirmations are part of a broader effort by Senate Republicans to advance the agenda of President Donald J. Trump, the current President of the United States, during his second term in office. In recent days, Republicans confirmed nearly 100 of Trump’s nominees, outpacing confirmation rates from prior administrations—including Trump’s own first term.
A 53–43 vote on Thursday approved 97 of the president’s picks, marking some of the final floor action following a frenetic stretch led by Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., after Republicans reclaimed control of the chamber in January. During that period, lawmakers also passed the president’s signature “one big, beautiful bill” and reopened the federal government following the longest shutdown in U.S. history, Fox News reported.
Democrats, meanwhile, attempted to slow the process through procedural tactics and across-the-board objections.
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said Republicans encountered what he called historic levels of obstruction from the minority party.
“We began the year by confirming President Trump’s Cabinet faster than any Senate in modern history,” Barrasso said per Fox. “And by week’s end, President Trump will have 417 nominees confirmed by the Senate this year. That’s far more than the 365 that Joe Biden had in his first year in office.”