Bernie Sanders Forces Senate Vote to Block Israeli Arms Sales

Senator Bernie Sanders announced on April 13, 2026, that he would force Senate votes to block approximately $446.8 million in arms sales to Israel. The measures included S.J.Res.138, targeting 12,000 gravity bombs, and S.J.Res.32, targeting Caterpillar bulldozers. Sanders argued that the Benjamin Netanyahu government used this equipment to commit atrocities in Gaza, Lebanon, and the West Bank.

The legislative push coincided with mass protests in Manhattan organized by Jewish Voice for Peace. Approximately 90 to 100 activists, including whistleblower Chelsea Manning, were arrested by the New York City Police Department after blocking traffic outside the offices of Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. Protesters demanded that the lawmakers halt the weapons sales, which had been expedited by an emergency determination signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a conflict with Iran.

On April 16, the resolutions failed to pass the Republican-controlled Senate. However, Senator Mark Kelly broke with his historical pattern of support to vote against the sales, stating that the current regional violence is not making the U.S. safer. The political tension follows a U.S.-Israeli offensive against Iran that began in February 2026 and a recent U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. Additionally, the liberal Zionist group J Street called for the first time for a phased reduction of U.S. military aid to Israel.