Record Senate Democrats vote to block arms sales to Israel over Iran war

More Senate Democrats than ever voted to halt arms sales and military bulldozers to Israel in an act of protest against President Donald Trump’s war in Iran.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. The late-night vote Wednesday, in which both resolutions failed, signaled a shift among Senate Democrats, who had joined Republicans in supporting a Jewish state over several previous attempts by progressives.

Taken together, Sanders’ decisions would block the sale of nearly $500 million in weapons and equipment to Israel. One of the decisions would stop the sale of Caterpillar bulldozers worth about $295 million, while the other would stop the sale of 1,000-pound bombs worth about $152 million.

Although they failed without Republican support, Sanders saw the increase in Democratic support as “progress.”

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“Today, more than 80 percent of the Democratic party sided with the American people and voted to block U.S. military aid. [Prime Minister Benjamin] “Netanyahu and his terrible, illegal wars,” Sanders said in a statement.

“When we started this effort, there were only 11 votes,” he continued. “There are now 40. This change reflects where the American people are.”

The shift comes after Israeli attacks on Lebanon threatened a fragile ceasefire and broader peace talks to end the conflict in Iran.

Senate Democrats did not fully agree with either decision; While 40 supported stopping the sale of bulldozers to Israel, 36 voted to block bomb sales. In particular, 27 Democrats voted yes in the last vote of the Senate, which did not approve the sale of arms to Israel. Before this, only 19 people were doing this.

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President Donald Trump welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on December 29, 2025. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Notably, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DY), a vocal critic of the war, voted against Sanders’ resolutions.

Lawmakers who changed their votes were quick to emphasize that they still support Israel but view their vote against the sale of weapons and military equipment as a referendum on the war in Iran.

Senator Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), who previously voted against Sanders’ attempts to stop arms sales to the Jewish state, said in a statement that her decision “stems from President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu’s reckless decision to go to war.”

“I have serious questions about any additional spending for this war, let alone the sale of additional arms to Israel for the same war,” Hassan said.

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Rescue workers search for victims at the site of an Israeli airstrike that hit a crowded neighborhood south of Beirut, Lebanon, April 5, 2026. (Hüseyin Malla/AP Photo)

The vote, combined with overwhelming Democratic support earlier Wednesday for reining in President Donald Trump’s war powers in the Middle East, could be seen as a preview of the power Democrats can wield on the expected request for additional spending to fund the war in Iran, which the administration has not yet sent to Congress.

The price tag of this package fluctuated from $200 billion to $50 billion. Republicans are considering including this request in the party package because of Senate Democrats’ influence on financing the war effort.

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Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., explained that the purpose of her vote against “1,000-pound so-called ‘dumb bombs’ and military bulldozers” was to highlight the stark contrast between supporting Israel and supporting war.

“But being pro-Israel today doesn’t just mean supporting Prime Minister Netanyahu’s political or military agenda, just as being pro-American should not be equated with loyalty to President Trump,” he said.