Progressive Caucus endorses bill to halt US arms shipments to Israel: Reports

CPC Chair Greg Casar calls policy stand against 'terrible atrocities' funded by US taxpayers

ISTANBUL

The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), one of the largest caucuses in the American Congress, has voted in a historic first to endorse legislation to halt US arms transfers to Israel amid its genocide in the Gaza Strip, according to reports.

The move comes as the caucus, representing nearly 100 members in the House of Representatives, backed the Block the Bombs Act, which would stop shipments of bunker buster bombs, 2,000-pound bombs, Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), 120mm tank rounds and 155mm artillery shells until Israel ends human rights violations.

“The United States cannot continue to send bombs we know will be used to commit terrible atrocities in Gaza,” CPC Chair Rep. Greg Casar said in a statement, according to an exclusive story published by Zeteo, an American new media organization.

The bill, led by Illinois Rep. Delia Ramirez, focuses on the most destructive weapons systems used in Gaza,

“The Block the Bombs bill is the first step toward oversight and accountability for the murder of children with US-made, taxpayer-funded weapons. In the face of authoritarian leaders perpetrating a genocidal campaign, Block the Bombs is the minimum action Congress must take,” said Ramirez.

Global condemnation mounting

Fifty members had already signed onto the bill before the CPC endorsement.

In July, a record one-quarter of the Senate, including half the Democratic caucus, voted to block weapon sales to Israel. Pressure has since intensified as Israel has escalated attacks on Palestinians and carried out deadly operations in neighboring countries, including Yemen.

The CPC’s leadership includes Deputy Chair Ilhan Omar, Whip Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, and Vice Chairs Ro Khanna, Delia Ramirez, Mark Takano, Rashida Tlaib, Lateefah Simon and Jared Huffman, according to a Drop Site News report on the American social media company, X.

American journalist Ryan Grim emphasized on X the historic nature of the vote. “Historically, the CPC had resisted weighing in at all on Israel because so many of its members were ‘progressive except for Palestine.’ That era is fading, this endorsement is a major signal,” he wrote.

The decision aligns with mounting international condemnation.

The US Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, alongside numerous nations, global institutions, genocide and Holocaust experts, has labeled Israel’s war on Gaza a genocide.

Pro-Palestine and labor organizations, as well as athletes, celebrities and human rights groups, have launched boycotts of Israeli institutions implicated in the conflict.