Senate Democrats vote against arms sales to Israel in record number
July 31 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate has approved weapons sales to Israel, despite the fact that a majority of Senate Democrats voted against the measure.
Twenty-seven of the 47 Democrats voted Wednesday in favor of two resolutions to block U.S. military sales to Israel, a change from the historically typical bipartisan support such resolutions are expected to receive.
The resolutions were sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who said in a press release Wednesday that "the members of the Senate Democratic caucus voted to stop sending arms shipments to a Netanyahu government which has waged a horrific, immoral, and illegal war against the Palestinian people."
"The tide is turning," he added. "The American people do not want to spend billions to starve children in Gaza."
Sanders' resolutions may have failed, but the 27 senators in support is the most he has received in the three times he sponsored them. His first attempt in November of last year received 18 Democratic votes, and a second attempt in April scored 15.
However, 70 senators voted against Sanders' first resolution that sought to block over $675 million in weapons sales to Israel.
His second resolution, which would have prohibited the sale of thousands of assault rifles, lost more support as it was defeated by a 73-24 margin.
Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., voted in support of Sanders' resolutions for the first time.
"Tonight I voted YES to block the sale of certain weapons to Israel to send a message to Netanyahu's government," she posted to X Wednesday. "This legislative tool is not perfect, but frankly it is time to say ENOUGH to the suffering of innocent young children and families."
"Tonight, I voted in favor of blocking the Trump Administration from sending more weapons to Israel," said Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., in an X post Wednesday, after voting yes for the first time.
"My votes tonight reflect my deep frustration with the Netanyahu government's abject failure to address humanitarian needs in Gaza and send a message to the Trump administration that it must change course if it wants to help end this devastating war," she concluded.
"The Democrats are moving forward on this issue, and I look forward to Republican support in the near future," Sanders further noted in his release.
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