Senate Democrats have delivered a historic rebuke of U.S. military aid to Israel, voting in unprecedented numbers to block shipments of bulldozers and bombs.
The vote comes at a time when Democrats have simultaneously pledged to continue weekly War Powers Resolutions aimed at curbing President Donald Trump’s authority in the Iran war.
Democrats voted against supplying bulldozers to the Israeli military, and 36 voted against sending 1,000‑pound bombs.
On Wednesday, April 15, 40 of 47 Senate Democratic and allied senators voted to block a shipment of American-made $300 million bulldozers to Israel, marking the largest congressional rejection of military aid to the country in U.S. history.
A separate vote saw 36 Democrats oppose the transfer of $150 million worth of 1,000-pound bombs to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The measures, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I‑Vt.), were unlikely to pass given unanimous Republican opposition. Still, the scale of Democratic dissent marked the largest congressional rejection of U.S. military aid to Israel in history.
Israel aid votes break new ground
According to a March 6, 2026, statement by the U.S. Department of State, the United States approved the $151.8 million military sale to Israel as tensions with Iran continued to escalate.
The package was to provide thousands of bomb bodies and logistical support aimed at strengthening Israel’s military capabilities during the ongoing regional conflict.
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The State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs under the Foreign Military Sales program said the proposed package allows Israel to purchase 12,000 BLU-110A/B general-purpose 1,000-pound bomb bodies. Also, the sale included additional logistical and technical support for Israel.
However, only seven Democrats sided with Republicans to continue the arms transfers: Sens. Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Chris Coons (Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), John Fetterman (Pa.), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Jacky Rosen (Nev.), and Chuck Schumer (N.Y.).
The bulldozer resolution was seen as particularly symbolic, given Israel’s use of the equipment in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon.
AIPAC had circulated talking points urging Democrats to oppose the measures, while Sen. Coons reportedly lobbied colleagues to resist the effort.
The vote by Senate Democrats against supplying bulldozers to the Israeli military came just hours after their colleagues forced another War Powers Resolution to the floor, seeking to end Trump’s military campaign in Iran.
The resolution failed 47–52, with Republicans largely united behind Trump, but Democrats vowed to keep pressing the issue. Sen. Chris Murphy (D‑Conn.) underscored the strategy in a floor speech, noting the absence of oversight.
“We are now a month and a half into this bungled, mismanaged war, and we have yet to have a single hearing in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee or the Senate Armed Services Committee. In the absence of these privileged motions, we would have no debate, no vote on the floor on the authorization of war,” he said.
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Murphy said Democrats would continue to bring privileged motions “week after week” to ensure accountability for a conflict costing billions of dollars weekly, claiming American lives, and destabilizing economies worldwide.
Linking Israel and Iran
Democrats explicitly connected their opposition to Trump’s Iran war with their rebuke of military aid to Israel. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D‑Md.) argued that the same determination applied to both fronts.
“Earlier this afternoon, nearly all Democrats voted together to end Donald Trump’s illegal war against Iran. That commitment and determination should apply to the Trump administration and to the Netanyahu administration.”
Democrats have signaled a broader challenge to executive‑driven military policy across the Middle East. Earlier, Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic-led resolution aimed at ending President Trump’s military campaign in Iran.
The resolution, introduced by Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), sought to prohibit Trump from taking further military action in Iran without explicit congressional authorization. It failed by a vote of 47-52, largely along party lines.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was the only Republican to support the measure, while Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) was the lone Democrat to oppose it. Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) missed the vote.
Duckworth’s resolution invoked the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which requires presidents to seek congressional approval for military action lasting beyond 60 days.
