Vermont independent Senator Bernie Sanders said Monday he will force a vote this week on legislation to block the sale of nearly half a billion dollars’ worth of bombs and bulldozers to the Israeli military. Meanwhile, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries says Democrats will compel a vote on an Iran war powers resolution, now that the House is back in session.
Archiv: Hakeem Jeffries
Top Democrats Face Rising Pressure to ‘Bring the Iran War Powers Resolution to the Floor Right Now’
A spokesperson for Democrats on the committee told Common Dreams on Wednesday that Meeks was very much committed to passing a bill to “hold President Trump accountable for his reckless war of choice,” but that one could not be pursued until April 13, after the recess, because some of the necessary “yes” votes had left Washington.
Drop Site News co-founder Ryan Grim described this as a “pathetic” excuse. “As Trump threatens a ground invasion, Democratic members of Congress are saying they won’t do the one thing they are elected to do: Show up and vote,” he wrote on social media.
With the House Eyeing Another Iran WPR Vote, Pro-Israel Democrats Explore Routes to Delay
Democrats in the House are preparing to force a vote on another War Powers Resolution as early as next Wednesday. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters that, this time, he is optimistic the effort to cease American hostilities in Iran will win the votes of the Democratic holdouts on the Massie-Khanna effort earlier this month.
Jeffries was referring to Democrats who voted against the WPR introduced by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Rep. Thomas Massie’s (R-KY), which failed 212-219 in a March 5 vote on the House floor, favoring instead a proposal by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ).
Tell Democrats in Congress to Insist That Schumer and Jeffries Step Aside
The Democratic leadership in Congress has failed to provide real leadership against a war-crazed Trump administration. Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Hakeem Jeffries have not acted to prevent war on Venezuela or the current war on Iran. They worked to delay a vote on Iran until after the war had started, while failing to clearly oppose it before or after the launch of the war. Schumer and Jeffries have shown that they cannot be trusted to prevent more wars, more threats of wars, or the transfer of another half a trillion dollars a year into the war machine.
It’s time for congressional Democrats to replace Schumer and Jeffries with leaders who are willing and able to challenge the runaway militarism that has dragged our country into launching yet another insanely destructive war.
The form below enables you to quickly send a clear message to the Democrat(s) who represent you in the House and/or Senate.
Coalition of Antiwar Groups Launches National Campaign Calling for Jeffries and Schumer to Step Aside from Leadership
A coalition of antiwar groups launched a national campaign Wednesday for constituents to urge Democrats in Congress to remove Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Sen. Chuck Schumer from their posts as minority leaders.
The coalition includes RootsAction and Peace Action, the nation’s largest grassroots peace network, as well as World BEYOND War and the Progressive Democrats of America – Greater Middle East Alliance.
“Schumer and Jeffries have failed their party and country through wobbly leadership when firmness and clarity are needed in opposing a reckless and costly war,” said Jeff Cohen, cofounder of RootsAction. “The Democratic base sees a weak and confused party leadership as Trump demands billions more to attack Iran. While the party needs strong leaders in Congress, both Schumer and Jeffries have shown that they’re not up to the job.”
Democratic Leaders Face Backlash Over ‘Cowardly’ Responses to Trump War on Iran
Neither Schumer nor Jeffries backed legislation last year aimed at forestalling US military intervention in Iran.
The top Democrats’ responses to Saturday’s US-Israeli attacks on Iran, which Trump said would continue “uninterrupted” even after the killing of the nation’s supreme leader, contrasted sharply with statements of rank-and-file congressional Democrats—and even some members of leadership—who condemned the president for shredding the Constitution and driving the US into another deadly war that the American public opposes.
Iran strikes were launched without approval from Congress, deeply dividing lawmakers
The strikes, which began early Saturday, were launched without congressional authorization. Article 1 of the Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the power to declare war. Top Congressional Democrats and Republicans that make up a group known as the Gang of Eight — party leaders from both chambers, as well as the Intelligence committees‘ leadership — were notified by the White House shortly before the attack.
Democrats unify behind a hardball strategy on DHS funding
And even with a DHS shutdown on the horizon — or what’s supposed to be a shutdown, anyway — Democrats are holding the line.
“Our position has been clear: Dramatic changes are needed at the Department of Homeland Security before a DHS funding bill moves forward,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said Monday when asked if he’d support a short-term funding patch for DHS. “Period. Full stop.”
Jeffries on released Epstein pages: ‘It‘s not over’ until ‘complete transparency’
ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos interviews House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., on “This Week.”
February 1, 2026
Mike Johnson told not to count on Dems‘ votes to end shutdown
Democrats are hesitant to vote for the package because it contains a two-week stopgap funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security that lacks reform measures for ICE or Customs and Border Protection.
Senate Democrats were split almost evenly on the measure in a Friday night vote, with the 23 Democrats who voted for it facing swift backlash from progressive groups who accused them of essentially voting to fund ICE.
At @AIPAC offices projecting the names of NY electeds + the amount of $$ they take from AIPAC, a right-wing lobby group that is openly, proudly supporting Israel’s genocide in Gaza. @RepJeffries: $500K from AIPAC @SenSchumer: $101,570 @SenGillibrand: $142,945
UAW and American Postal Workers Union Members Lead NYC March for Gaza
Members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) Region 9A; American Postal Workers Union (APWU); United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers (UE) Eastern Region; New York City’s arm of Democratic Socialists of America (NYC-DSA); Adalah Justice Project, American Muslims for Palestine N.Y./N.J.; Jewish Voice for Peace-N.Y.; New York Communities for Change; the New York Working Families Party; and more took to the streets to call for “peace and justice for Palestine.”
They carried signs stressing U.S. worker demands for a cease-fire in the conflict that has killed more than 20,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including over 8,000 children.
BREAKING: Thousands are marching on AIPAC headquarters in NYC, led by workers from @UAW, @APWUnational, and other unions. The people demand a ceasefire!
Banners at the front show how much $ @ChuckSchumer, @HakeemJeffries, & @SenGillibrand have taken from AIPAC.
@StatusCoup
Democrats + 7 MAGA Republicans removed Kevin McCarthy as Speaker. Democrats + 7 moderate Republicans could make Hakeem Jeffries the next Speaker.
Normalization for Proliferation? The Saudi Nuclear Strategy and the Price of Peace with Israel
(March 19, 2023)
In general, the Saudis wish to present themselves as Iran’s equals, and if Iran can enrich uranium, say the Saudis, then so can we. In addition, the Saudis want to keep all their nuclear options open, even if they are not intending to work on the development of nuclear weapons immediately.
Netanyahu‘s government to back Biden in bid to win Senate support for Saudi pact
Recently, top Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, after stops in Riyadh and Jerusalem and voicing strong support for Saudi-Israel normalization, said that he would support the Biden administration plan to meet Saudi prerequisites, culminating in Saudi Arabia formally acknowledging Israel.
Beyond a defense pact, the Saudis also have raised requests with the US for civilian nuclear capabilities, advanced weaponry, and beyond. Israeli agreement would be crucial for these components. Historically, Israel has been wary, particularly regarding the nuclear aspect
Jeffries tells Netanyahu that he hopes the PM will seek a broad consensus on judicial reform
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting in Jerusalem on Monday that he hoped the current government would seek “a broad consensus across the ideological spectrum” before any further changes are made relating to its plans to overhaul the country’s judiciary.
Jeffries: US support for Israel above judicial reform
US House of Representatives Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said on Monday in Jerusalem that judicial reform should have no bearing on American military support for Israel.
Speaking to Israeli journalists about the divisive domestic debate regarding the ruling coalition‘s legislative initiative, the New York lawmaker expressed the importance of maintaining Israel‘s qualitative military edge „regardless of where Israel lands in terms of the judicial reform effort.“
Netanyahu meets US Democrats; calls for military option against Iran, cooperation on AI
“The most important thing is to produce a credible military threat to Iran. The other thing is use it. We don’t want a world in which Iran can threaten New York or Washington or Los Angeles or anything in between with nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu tells the visiting delegation, which was organized by the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC.
Scoop: U.S. Dem lawmakers tell Bibi judicial overhaul makes defending Israel hard
Jeffries and several other members of Congress told Netanyahu in Jerusalem that the judicial overhaul created a lot of negative “noise” about Israel in the U.S. and among their constituents, according to one of the sources who attended the meeting.
“They told Netanyahu it is very difficult for them to defend Israel under such circumstances, and their message was: help us help you,“ the source said.
U.S. delegation meets with Israel‘s PM during tense Memorial Day week
The group discussed “the need to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, the Abraham Accords, and the opportunities for expanding the circle of peace with additional countries.”
Netanyahu then thanked Jeffries and members of the delegation for their support for the State of Israel, emphasizing the important relationship between Israel and the United States.
Later this week, Netanyahu will meet with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.