Sanders Files Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to Block Trump Arms Sales to Israel

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) last week filed four Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRDs) that would block the sale of $8.56 billion in offensive U.S. weaponry to Israel.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration notified Congress of its approval of four major offensive arms sales to Israel, including tens of thousands of the bombs, missiles and artillery shells Israel has used to destroy huge swathes of Gaza and Lebanon. These munitions are directly implicated in tens of thousands of civilian deaths.

The sales include:

• $6.75 billion for 2,166 Small Diameter Bombs, 2,800 500-pound bombs and tens of thousands of fuzes and Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kits for use on bombs.
• $688 million for 15,500 additional JDAM guidance kits for use on bombs and an additional 615 Small Diameter Bombs.
• $660 million for 3,000 Hellfire Air-to-Ground Missiles.
• $312.5 million for 10,000 155mm High Explosive artillery shells.

The export of these weapons would clearly violate the criteria laid out in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Arms Export Control Act (AECA).

“Israel had the right to defend itself against Hamas and respond to the barbaric October 7, 2023, terrorist attack, which killed 1,200 innocent people and took over 240 hostages,” said Sanders. “But Netanyahu’s extremist government has instead waged an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people, killing more than 48,000 and injuring more than 111,000 – the vast majority of whom are women and children.”

“Tragically, much of this carnage has been carried out with American bombs and weapons,” Sanders continued. “Netanyahu has used our bombs to damage or destroy almost 70 percent of the structures in Gaza, including hundreds of schools. All of this has been done in clear violation of U.S. and international law. With Trump and Netanyahu openly talking about forcibly displacing millions of Palestinians from Gaza – in other words, ethnic cleansing – it would be unconscionable to provide more of the bombs and weapons Israel has used to kill so many civilians and make life unlivable in Gaza.”

The Foreign Assistance Act and the AECA require that arms transfers must be consistent with internationally-recognized human rights, advance U.S. foreign policy interests, and avoid the association of the United States with any human rights violations. Reliable human rights monitors have rigorously documented numerous incidents involving these systems leading to unacceptable civilian death and harm.

Upon introduction of a Joint Resolution of Disapproval under the AECA, the Foreign Relations Committee has ten calendar days to consider the resolution in committee (or five calendar days for Foreign Military Sales to NATO allies and major non-NATO allies, including Israel). After this period, the sponsor(s) of the resolution can force a floor vote on a motion to discharge the resolution from committee. The resolution is privileged, meaning it cannot be amended or filibustered, and it requires a simple majority for the motion to discharge the resolution from committee and for final passage.