This legislative ask is designed to be shared with your members of Congress and their staff.
Since taking office, the Trump Administration approved a series of arms sales to Israel totaling nearly $13 billion. Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRD) –- S.J.Res.34 and S.J.Res.41 — led by Senators Bernie Sanders (VT), seek to block the sale of certain offensive weapons, including 1,000 pound bombs, Joint Direct Attack Munitions, and Assault Rifles that have been used in strikes that killed thousands of civilians in Gaza over the past two years—including aid workers and journalists.
Israel has repeatedly used these weapons in densely populated areas, with deadly results. In one October 2023 attack, Amnesty International says 43 civilians were killed in JDAM strikes. In a July 2025 another JDAM strike on a crowded cafe where journalists were working caused further loss of life. The Joint Resolutions of Disapproval do not affect missile defense systems like Iron Dome or David’s Sling. They target offensive weapons linked to unlawful attacks on civilians.
The United States cannot claim moral leadership while continuing to send billions in weapons to a government that has shown a blatant disregard for civilian life and is credibly accused of violating international law. Congress must pass this resolution and use all available leverage to help bring about a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, Lebanon, and across the region.
Why Congress must pass these Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to stop the sale of offensive weapons to Israel:
- Documented Harm to Civilians: Independent human rights and conflict monitors have thoroughly documented the Israeli military’s use of these offensive weapons from the United States in attacks that have killed Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Humanitarian groups have stressed that Israeli forces continue to block the delivery of humanitarian aid as hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza are on the precipice of starvation and suffering from the spread of deadly diseases. In addition to bombing civilians and blocking aid, Israeli soldiers are fatally shooting civilians seeking food at aid sites.
- Violation of U.S. Law and Policy: U.S. law prohibits arms transfers to countries that engage in a consistent pattern of gross human rights violations or restrict the delivery of humanitarian aid. Independent monitors have documented severe human rights abuses in Gaza and the obstruction of critical supplies. Continued offensive arms transfers to Israel would violate the Foreign Assistance Act and the Arms Export Control Act.
- Leverage for a Ceasefire: There is no military solution to this crisis in Israel-Palestine and across the Middle East, and more weapons of war will only escalate the violence. By stopping these arms sales, Congress would send a clear message that only diplomacy – not more weapons – is the way to bring all hostages home and achieve a peaceful settlement to the violence in Gaza and across the region.