US Senate overwhelmingly votes down Sanders’ motions to block arms sales to Israel

Minority of Democrats voting in favor falls from 19 to 15 since November, with Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia, who is likely to face an intense reelection challenge from Republicans in 2026 flipping to ‘No’ as he readies for reelection fight next year;

The US Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly rejected a pair of resolutions by progressive Senator Bernie Sanders aimed at blocking the transfer of weapons to Israel, with the minority of Democrats voting in favor falling since the last time such an initiative was advanced several months ago.

Sanders’s motions were virtually guaranteed to fail given:
1. the Republican majority in the Senate
2. and the still small minority of Democrats willing to vote against Israel.

However, such votes are often framed as a litmus test on how much the Democratic Party:
1. is shifting in its support for Israel,
2. and in particular, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman James Risch of Idaho urged defeat of Sanders’s resolutions, saying:
“They would abandon Israel, our closest ally in the Middle East, during a pivotal moment for global security.”

Trump began his second term by reversing his predecessor Biden’s efforts to place some limits on what arms are sent to Israel.
Trump in February sidestepped the congressional review process to approve billions of dollars in military sales to Israel.