Senate Democrats blocked a pro-Israel bill from reaching the 60-vote threshold necessary for it to reach the floor of the Senate for a vote.
By a margin of 56 votes in favor and 44 against, the bill fell short by four votes to end the filibuster. According to the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), 43 of the votes against were from Senate Democrats:
43 Dems just voted against Israel/Middle East security
Bill would have:
-Sanctioned the brutal Syrian regime
-Authorized state/local govts to fight back against #BDS
-Extend military assistance to Israel
-Reauthorize our defense cooperation w/Jordan, another close Mid East ally— RJC (@RJC) January 8, 2019
There were four Senate Democrats that voted for the bill: Sens. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Doug Jones (D-Ala.), Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) and Krysten Sinema (D-Ari.)
Myriad Senate Democrats, such as Ben Cardin (D-Md.), have argued that the Senate should not be conducting any business until President Trump ends the partial government shutdown over funding for a border wall. Other Senate Democrats, such as Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), have argued that the anti-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) provision violates the First Amendment of the Constitution.
On the other side of the aisle, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who sponsored the bill, argued that the bill was compatible with the First Amendment:
The anti-Israel BDS campaign pressures companies to stop doing business in #Israel & banks & funds to divest of investments in Israel
SB1 allows local & state govt’s to boycott the boycotters by ending contracts with companies that give in to these Anti-Israel demands
1/2
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 8, 2019
Opposition to our bill isn’t about free speech. Companies are FREE to boycott Israel. But local & state governments should be FREE to end contracts with companies that do.
Many claim they oppose BDS. But shielding BDS from counter-boycotts is de facto support of BDS.
2/2
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 8, 2019
Rubio had earlier tweeted that the Democrats don’t want to reveal their growing support for the BDS movement:
The shutdown is not the reason Senate Democrats don’t want to move to Middle East Security Bill.
A huge argument broke out at Senate Dem meeting last week over BDS. A significant # of Senate Democrats now support #BDS & Dem leaders want to avoid a floor vote that reveals that.
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 7, 2019
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) accused senators who supported the bill of dual loyalty in a Monday tweet, which the Anti-Defamation League said was “deeply troubling.”
The bill itself would have provided at least $38 billion in aid to Israel – which would have been a record amount of military aid from the United States to another country – as well as provide aid to Jordan, an ally of both the United States and Israel.
