Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) criticized the US government appropriations bill that was approved early Saturday morning due to the fact that it froze the US assistance to UNRWA and includes US military aid to Israel.
The bill was passed by the Senate in a 74-24 vote following hours of intense negotiations, preventing a government shutdown. President Joe Biden signed the bills on Saturday afternoon.
“I voted NO on the appropriations bill that the Senate passed last night. While hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children face starvation in Gaza, this bill actually prohibits funding to UNRWA, the key United Nations aid agency delivering life-saving humanitarian support. This will only intensify the already horrific situation in Gaza,” Sanders said in a statement following the vote.
“This bill also provides another $3.3 billion in US military aid for Netanyahu’s right-wing government to continue this barbaric war. The Netanyahu government should not receive another penny from US taxpayers,” he added.
Sanders has long advocated for the US to condition its aid to Israel. He has been critical of Israel’s government in the past, referring to it as “racist”.
Sanders recently called on Congress to reject the $10.1 billion in unconditional military aid being considered for Israel, saying the funds would be used by the Israeli government “to continue its brutal war against the Palestinian people.”
Despite the fact that Sanders has become steadily more critical of Israel’s war in Gaza, he continues to resist calling for a permanent ceasefire, which he says would open the door to further Hamas attacks.