U.S. Senate Blocks Democratic Bill to Cancel Arms Deals to Israel, Including 1,000-Pound Bombs

The U.S. Senate blocked a Democratic attempt to cancel arms deals aimed at Israel, as growing concern within the Democratic ranks about the war against Iran deepened the internal split over arming the longtime American ally.

“When Congresswoman Delia Ramirez first announced the Block the Bombs Act to impose a partial embargo against sending weapons from the United States to Israel, only 21 Democratic legislators joined her in supporting the measure”

Al Jazeera

Forty members of the Senate voted against a resolution to provide Israel with American weapons, a move described as unprecedented in terms of the number of opponents within the chamber, while the Republicans in the Senate blocked discussion of a second bill that would have barred an American weapons sale to Israel that would include 1,000-pound bombs used in Gaza and Lebanon.

Al Jazeera

The measure sought to ban a deal worth $295 million that included Caterpillar bulldozers, and Democratic lawmakers said the Senate must halt transfers of new weapons to Israel that would support the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran without congressional authorization.

Senator Bernie Sanders said on the floor, “For Netanyahu, Gaza was not enough. And the attack on Iran was not enough. Netanyahu is now waging a broad expansion of the war against Lebanon.”

Senator Mark Kelly said the joint operation between the United States and Israel “is not business as usual,” adding that it “does not make us safer,” in remarks tied to the regional war and sharp economic consequences.

Support for the Block the Bombs Act, which aims to impose restrictions on U.S. arms sales to Israel, surged after its introduction, with Congresswoman Delia Ramirez initially proposing it in June 2025 with 21 Democratic co-sponsors and later seeing it reach 73 co-sponsors.

Ramirez told reporters, “While some thought that the bill was extreme, it has, in fact, become pretty mainstream,” as the bill gained traction despite earlier perceptions of it being extreme.

NR

Al Jazeera reported that the increase reflected changing public sentiment regarding unconditional support for Israel, and Ramirez said she wanted the bill brought to a vote on the House floor.

The Al Jazeera report said a recent survey by the Institute for Global Affairs found only 16 percent of respondents agreed that the US “should keep supplying Israel with weapons without new restrictions.”

Rashida Tlaib emphasized that it is no longer taboo to question Washington’s backing of Israel, telling reporters, “Americans want us to invest here at home. They want us not to invest in death and destruction and bombs.”

In Sweden, the dismissal of Erik Helgeson, vice president of the Swedish Port Workers Union (Svenska Hamnarbetarförbundet, SDU), was framed by international labor organizations and activists as retaliation connected to a union mobilization against shipping military equipment to Israel amid the genocide in Gaza.

“Arabic version:تزايد الدعم لمشروع قانون لتقييد الأسلحة الأمريكية لإسرائيل Support for the Block the Bombs Act, which aims to impose restrictions on U”

Oz Arab Media

The NR report said port union members voted by a wide margin (68%) in December 2024 to block the handling of military shipments destined for or coming from Israel, and the action materialized in January 2025 with a six-day blockade at the Port of Gothenburg.

Although the Swedish Labor Court Arbetsdomstolen ruled in February 2025 in favor of the union and confirmed the legality of the blockade as a union action protected by Swedish law, GRT notified Helgeson of his dismissal on the same day, citing alleged violations of the Security Protection Act Säkerhetsskyddslagen and risks to national security.

Helgeson said in an interview with the Swedish outlet ETC, “This is not just about me; it's about workers' right to take ethical positions without retaliation,” and the NR report added that he defended the action as internationalist solidarity to prevent military material from contributing to suffering in Gaza.

The NR report also cited a statement on social media by MEP Jonas Sjöstedt saying Helgeson should receive a medal instead of being fired, as the case was described as sparking debate about the criminalization and persecution of unionism in Sweden.