🧵 Live Thread: The Senate is debating Joint Resolutions of Disapproval introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders to block more than $20B in offensive weapons sales to Israel. ➤ Senator Sanders is the first to speak.

➤ Senator Jeff Merkley, Democrat from Oregon, says the Israel of today is not the same as the Israel of 1978 — when he hitchhiked across the country, marveling at how they were “making the desert bloom.”

➤ Senator Jacky Rosen, Democrat from Nevada, speaks against the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval, claiming that blocking the arms sales because “you don’t agree with everything the current Israeli government is doing” is wrong. This framing, of course, is extremely misleading. The resolutions are not about disagreement with the Israeli government, but about the broader issue of whether the U.S. should be providing $20 billion in arms during ongoing human rights violations in Gaza. The resolutions are focused on ensuring accountability, not targeting Israel’s people or its security.

➤ Senator Jim Risch, Republican from Idaho, speaks in opposition to the resolutions, calling them “an effort to placate the far-left of the Democratic Party.”

➤ Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican from South Carolina, strongly opposes the resolutions, claiming they “undercut” his vision for Middle East peace, which involves a Saudi Arabia and UAE-led peace effort following the defeat of Shiite Islam in the region, that, in his words, “trains people to kill all the Jews.” Additionally, Graham made false claims about the October 7 attacks, alleging that Hamas decapitated children and filmed mass rapes of Israelis. These claims have been widely debunked.

🚨 The Senate has voted 18 to 79 to defeat S.J. Res. 111, which would have blocked the sale of 120mm tank rounds to Israel as it continues its genocide in Gaza. Centrist Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) voted in favor of the resolution. Two additional resolutions are still scheduled for a vote.

🚨 The Senate has voted 19 to 78 to defeat S.J. Res. 113, which would block the sale of 120mm high-explosive mortar rounds to Israel as it continues its genocide in Gaza. Senator Chris Murphy voted in favor of the resolution. We’ll share the full list of how each senator voted shortly.

List:

For the first vote on resolution blocking sale of tank rounds totaling over $700M, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) voted present and Sens. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and JD Vance (R-Ohio) did not vote.

Senator Jon Ossoff:

You're telling me none of these Senators had any information on Israel's nuclear program that they could read into the record on the Senate floor?