Half the members who signed a letter to Biden in the aftermath of aid worker killings voted for the package anyway.
by Blaise Malley, Responsible Statecraft
The Senate approved the national security supplemental on Tuesday night, by a vote of 79-18.
The legislation combined the four bills that were approved by the House over the weekend. After months of pushing the Biden administration to do more to pressure Israel to change its conduct in its war in Gaza, Democrats in Congress ultimately approved $26 billion in aid for Israel, including approximately $9 billion in global humanitarian aid (how much would go to Gaza, to be determined).
In the Senate, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT.) tried to introduce two amendments — one that would remove all offensive military aid for Israel and another to restore U.S. funding for UNRWA. “What we are doing today is aiding and abetting the destruction of the Palestinian people,” he said on the Senate floor Tuesday night.

No Democrats, including some who have raised concerns about Israel’s war, supported Sanders’s effort, saying that they wanted the package to move forward without delay.
In the lead-up to the votes, pushback was more prevalent in the House. Perhaps most notably, on April 5, 39 voting congressional Democrats circulated a letter that urged President Joe Biden to stop sending offensive arms to Israel until an investigation into the strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen staffers was completed.
Recent Posts
Senators Launch Bipartisan Bid to Block Trump War on Venezuela
October 18, 2025
Take Action Now “Congress has not authorized military force against Venezuela,” said Sen. Adam Schiff. “And we must assert our authority to stop the…
Democrats Have Let Republicans Become The “Peace” Party
October 17, 2025
Take Action Now The massive disconnect between the Democratic Party’s leadership and its base is sure to have ramifications far beyond last year’s…
‘Textbook Authoritarianism’: Trump Aims IRS Criminal Division At Left-Leaning Groups, Donors
October 16, 2025
Take Action Now Reporting by the Wall Street Journal indicates the active “weaponization” of the agency to target the far-right president’s political…
Trump Knesset Speech Displays Complete U.S. Backing Of Israel
October 15, 2025
Take Action Now Trump stirred controversy in several off-script moments in his address to the Israeli Knesset, including spotlighting a top…