Sanders blocks $500M vote
Sen. Bernie Sanders forced a vote trying to block a roughly $500 million package that included bombs and bulldozers for Israel, a move generating debate on Capitol Hill. (x.com)
Bernie Sanders is forcing the Senate to vote this week on two measures to block U.S. transfers of bombs and bulldozers to Israel. (sanders.senate.gov) Sanders filed the resolutions on March 19 with Senators Chris Van Hollen, Jeff Merkley and Peter Welch. One targets a $151.8 million sale of 12,000 BLU-110A/B 1,000-pound bomb bodies, and the other targets a $295 million sale of Caterpillar D9 bulldozers and related equipment. (congress.gov, dsca.mil, state.gov) The Senate procedure is narrow but powerful: after five calendar days in the Foreign Relations Committee, sponsors can force a simple-majority vote to discharge a joint resolution of disapproval to the floor. Roll Call reported that Sanders used the same tool in earlier Israel arms fights, but those efforts fell short. (rollcall.com) The fight is landing as Congress argues over how much oversight it still has over arms sales to Israel. Sanders and his allies say the Trump administration used emergency authority to move weapons while cutting lawmakers out of the normal review process. (rollcall.com, sanders.senate.gov) The bulldozer piece has drawn attention because it is not a missile or a bomb but a military sale. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Israel requested D9R and D9T Caterpillar bulldozers, spare parts, technical documents, inspections and support, with an estimated cost of $295 million. (dsca.mil) The bomb sale is smaller in dollar terms but larger in quantity. The State Department said on March 6 that Israel requested 12,000 BLU-110A/B bomb bodies and related engineering, logistics and technical support in a case valued at $151.8 million. (state.gov) Supporters of the resolutions argue U.S. law bars arms transfers that conflict with American foreign policy or tie the United States to human rights abuses. Amnesty International USA urged senators to back S.J.Res. 32 and S.J.Res. 138 before this week’s vote. (rollcall.com, amnestyusa.org) Opponents argue blocking the sales would undercut Israel during a regional war and interfere with a close U.S. ally’s military operations. Roll Call reported that efforts to deny Israel requested weapons are expected to face strong resistance in the Senate. (rollcall.com) The odds are long. Roll Call, citing Congressional Research Service data, reported that only one of 127 joint resolutions of disapproval filed since 1974 has become law. (rollcall.com) So the immediate stakes are less about stopping the transfers than about forcing senators onto the record. By the end of the vote, every member will have taken a public position on whether the United States should keep sending these specific weapons and machines to Israel. (politico.com, rollcall.com)
