SENATE BLOCKS MEASURE 36–63… FIRST TIME IN DECADES!
Bernie Sanders Lost the Vote—But 40 Senators Just Sent Israel a Warning Washington Can No Longer Ignore
Bernie Sanders’ effort to block a shipment of American military equipment to Israel failed in the Senate.
But the final number may matter more than the defeat.
Forty senators voted to stop the sale of nearly $300 million in military bulldozers, spare parts and support equipment to Israel.
The resolution was rejected 59–40.
Every Republican who voted opposed it.
Seven Democrats joined them.
On paper, Israel’s supporters won comfortably.
Politically, however, the vote revealed how quickly the ground beneath Washington’s long-standing alliance is shifting.
Only a few years ago, an attempt to block weapons for Israel would have attracted support from a small group of progressive senators.
This time, most members of the Democratic caucus backed Sanders.
The seven Democrats who opposed the bulldozer resolution were Richard Blumenthal, Chris Coons, Catherine Cortez Masto, John Fetterman, Kirsten Gillibrand, Jacky Rosen and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Then the Senate considered a second measure.
That resolution would have blocked the sale of 12,000 general-purpose 1,000-pound bombs and related support services, valued at roughly $152 million.
It failed 63–36.
Eleven Democrats joined Republicans in opposing it.
Neither vote stopped the weapons.
But together they exposed a divide that is becoming impossible for Democratic leaders to contain.
Sanders argued that Israel has used military bulldozers to demolish homes in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank, while large bombs have contributed to civilian destruction across the region.
Israel says it does not deliberately target civilians and that its operations are aimed at militants and military infrastructure.
Republicans framed the resolutions as a threat to an ally already confronting Iran and other armed groups.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch warned that blocking the equipment would encourage Iran and leave Israelis—and Americans living in Israel—more vulnerable.
That argument still commands nearly unanimous Republican support.
Among Democrats, it no longer does.
Support for limiting weapons sales has grown with each vote.
In November 2024, only 18 senators supported one of Sanders’ early efforts.
By July 2025, similar proposals received 24 and 27 votes.
Now one reached 40.
Even Sen. Mark Kelly, who had opposed earlier restrictions, voted for the latest measures after criticizing both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Trump administration’s widening military involvement.
That progression is the real story.
Sanders did not have enough votes to stop a single bulldozer or bomb.
But he demonstrated that unconditional support for Israel is no longer the automatic Democratic position it once was.
Public opinion is changing as well.
Sanders cited polling showing 57 percent of Americans opposed additional economic and military support for Israel, compared with 37 percent who favored it.
The precise wording of any poll matters, but the broader movement is clear: Democratic voters—especially younger ones—are becoming far more skeptical of military aid.
That creates a dangerous choice for party leaders.
Support the sales, and they risk alienating a growing share of their own voters.
Oppose them, and Republicans will accuse Democrats of abandoning Israel during a regional war.
Chuck Schumer and the six other Democrats who opposed the bulldozer resolution chose the traditional alliance.
Forty senators chose leverage.
The weapons will still move forward.
But Washington’s political center has already moved.
May you like
Sanders lost the resolution.
What Israel’s supporters must now explain is why the number opposing them keeps getting larger every time the Senate votes.
