More than 50 human rights and faith-based organizations urged Congress on October 1, 2026, to block a proposed $2.8 billion arms sale to Israel. The groups are calling for a joint resolution of disapproval to stop the transfer of heavy munitions, including 2,000-pound bombs and bunker-buster warheads.
More than 50 human rights and faith-based organizations urged Congress on October 1, 2026, to block a $2.8 billion arms sale to Israel. The State Department informally notified congressional committees of plans to sell Israel 40,000 2,000-pound MK-84 and BLU-117 bombs and 20,000 I-2000 penetrator warheads for deeply buried targets. According to Al-Monitor, taxpayers would fund the majority of this package through Foreign Military Financing.
Coalition Warns of Legal Violations
A coalition including the Episcopal Church, Human Rights Watch, Oxfam America, and Amnesty International USA sent a letter to congressional offices warning that these transfers violate international and US law. These laws restrict arms sales to countries that engage in a consistent pattern of gross human rights violations or block the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
The group—which includes the Center for Constitutional Rights, Center for International Policy Advocacy, Defending Rights & Dissent, Center for Jewish Nonviolence, Center for Victims of Torture, and CommonDefense—warned that Failing to do so would amount to a blank check for further catastrophic harm and human rights violations.
Investigations have identified hundreds of massive craters in populated areas, including those designated as safe for civilians, caused by 2,000-pound bombs. The Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) and other signatories cited these impacts in Gaza and Lebanon, while the United Nations’ human rights office, international media, and US media documented the use of these munitions in densely populated areas.
Israeli military actions in Lebanon have killed nearly 9,000 people, including journalists and healthcare workers, and injured over 30,000. These actions displaced more than one million people and destroyed schools, hospitals, and residential housing in what are described as crimes against humanity and apparent war crimes.
Trump Administration Bypasses Congress
Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the ranking member in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, have placed informal holds on the sale to resolve concerns before formal notification.
The Trump administration has previously ignored such checks. In January, it overrode the process to expedite a $6.5 billion weapons package containing combat vehicles and Apache helicopters. In February, Donald Trump bypassed Congress to accelerate $12 billion in military sales, including the 2,000-pound explosives previously withheld by Joe Biden.
Trump has sought to speed up the supply of heavy weapons since returning to the White House in 2025. His administration quickly provided advanced THAAD defence systems during a 12-day war with Iran and reversed a May 2024 Biden administration decision to pause 2,000-pound bomb deliveries over civilian casualties in Rafah.
Democrats Break With Security Tradition
Democratic and independent lawmakers, including Sanders, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar, have sought to halt arms transfers and hold Israel accountable for its actions in Gaza, according to Noon Post. The explosives measure failed 73 to 24, and the assault-rifle measure was defeated 70 to 27.
Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, along with Democratic senators Peter Welch of Vermont and Jeff Merkley of Oregon, introduced two measures to stop weapons supplies.
- November 2024: No more than 19 Democratic senators supported the effort.
- April 2025: Support dropped to 15 votes.
- July 2026: Support rose to 27 votes for the assault-rifle measure.
Israel’s total arms sales reached a record $14.8 billion by 2024, surpassing the 2023 record of $13 billion. In the year following October 7, 2023, Israel received an estimated $17.9 billion in US military aid, including tank rounds, artillery shells, precision-guided munitions, air defence systems, shoulder-fired single-use rockets, and Hellfire missiles for drones.
The most recent Senate vote occurred during a severe famine in Gaza, described as a weapon of war used by the Israeli government.
Lawmakers Face 15-Day Deadline
Congress has 15 days to enact a Joint Resolution of Disapproval (JRD) to block the sale under the Arms Export Control Act once the Trump administration moves to formal notification.
Similar efforts have consistently failed to secure enough votes.
Israeli strikes persist under a US-brokered ceasefire established in October 2025, as negotiators work toward a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the disarmament of Hamas.