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More Senate Democrats than ever voted to freeze the sale of weapons and military tanks to Israel as a protest against President Donald Trump’s war on Iran.
Wednesday night voting, which saw the decisions of Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vt., failed to win, signaling a shift among Senate Democrats, who in several previous attempts by progressives joined Republicans in support of a Jewish state.
Combined, Sanders’ decisions would have blocked nearly $500 million in arms and equipment sales to Israel. One decision would have halted the sale of 1,000 million dollars worth of approximately $295 million, and the other would have halted the sale of 152 million bombs.
Although they failed without Republican support, Sanders viewed the increase in Democratic support as “progress.”
GOP STICKS WITH TRUMP ON IRAN WAR, BUT WITNESSES ARE COMING OUT AS DEADLINE looms
Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vt., walks into the Senate chamber on Dec. 11, 2025, Washington, DC (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
“Today, more than 80% of the Democratic caucus stands with the American people and voted to block US military aid [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and his evil and illegal wars,” Sanders said in a statement.
“When we started this effort, there were only 11 votes,” he continued. “Now, they’re 40. That change shows where the American people are.”
The change comes after Israeli strikes in Lebanon threatened a ceasefire, as well as broader peace talks, to end hostilities in Iran.
Senate Democrats did not fully agree on both resolutions – 40 supported stopping the sale of tractors to Israel, while 36 voted to block the sale of bombs. Notably, the last time the Senate voted to ban arms sales to Israel, 27 Democrats voted yes. Before that, only 19 did.
ROGUE DEM BUCKS PARTY IN TRUMP’S WAR POWER, CALLS IRAN A ’47 YEAR WAR CRIMINAL’
President Donald Trump welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to his Mar-a-Lago club on Dec. 29, 2025 in Palm Beach, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Notably, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., a longtime critic of the war, voted against Sanders’ resolutions.
Lawmakers who changed their votes quickly insisted they still supported Israel but viewed their votes against arms and ammunition sales as a referendum on Iran’s war.
Sen. Maggie Hassan, DN.H., who previously voted against Sanders’ efforts to halt arms sales to the Jewish state, said in a statement that her decision to withdraw was “informed by President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision to go to war.”
“I have serious questions about any additional costs for this war, not to mention the sale of weapons for the same war to Israel,” Hassan said.
SCHUMER CHARACTERS TRUMP’S IRAN WAR AS A FAILURE, GOES TO QUESTION HIS WAR POWERS
Rescuers search for victims at the site of an Israeli airstrike that hit a populated area south of Beirut, Lebanon, April 5, 2026. (Hussein Malla/AP Photo)
The vote, along with strong Democratic support for President Donald Trump’s military buildup in the Middle East earlier Wednesday, could be seen as a demonstration of the power Democrats may have over an expected additional spending request to fund the Iran war, which the administration has yet to send to Congress.
The price of that package has changed from as much as $200 billion to as low as $50 billion. Because of the influence Senate Democrats could have over funding the war effort, Republicans are considering applying to the party’s pocketbook.
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Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., explained her vote against “1,000 pound so-called ‘dumb bombs’ and military tractors” was intended to highlight the stark difference between supporting Israel and supporting war.
“But being pro-Israel today is not just about supporting the political or military agenda of Prime Minister Netanyahu, just as being pro-American should not be equated with loyalty to President Trump,” he said.
