Dozens of Dems flip on Israel, vote to ban arms sales in protest of Iran war
More Senate Democrats than ever before voted to halt arms sales and military bulldozers to Israel as an act of protest against President Donald Trump’s war in Iran.The late-night vote...
By Fox News · Fox News
More Senate Democrats than ever before voted to halt arms sales and military bulldozers to Israel as an act of protest against President Donald Trump’s war in Iran. The late-night vote on Wednesday, which saw both of Sen. Bernie Sanders', I-Vt., resolutions fail, signaled a shift among Senate Democrats, who in several previous attempts by the progressive had joined Republicans to support the Jewish state. Combined, Sanders’ resolutions would have blocked nearly $500 million in arms and equipment sales to Israel. One resolution would have halted the sale of roughly $295 million in Caterpillar bulldozers, while the other would have stopped the sale of nearly $152 million worth of 1,000-pound bombs. Though they failed without Republican support, Sanders viewed the swell of Democratic backing as "progress." GOP HOLDS WITH TRUMP ON IRAN WAR, BUT CRACKS EMERGE AS DEADLINE NEARS "Today, more than 80% of the Democratic caucus stood with the American people and voted to block U.S. military aid to [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and his horrific, illegal wars," Sanders said in a statement. "When we started this effort there were just 11 votes," he continued. "Now, there are 40. That shift reflects where the American people are." The shift comes after Israel's strikes in Lebanon threatened a fragile ceasefire, and broader peace talks, to end fighting in Iran. Senate Democrats weren’t fully aligned on both resolutions — 40 supported halting the sale of bulldozers to Israel, while 36 voted to block bomb sales. Notably, the last time the Senate voted to disapprove arms sales to Israel, 27 Democrats voted yes. Before that, only 19 did. ROGUE DEM BUCKS PARTY ON TRUMP WAR POWERS, CALLS IRAN ‘47-YEAR-OLD WAR CRIME’ Notably, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who has been a vocal critic of the war, voted against Sanders' resolutions. Lawmakers who flipped their votes were quick to stress that they still support Israel but viewed their votes against the sale of weapons…