Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington state issued a furious rebuke of the Trump administration on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, declaring that she will fight in Congress to block a newly approved $2.8 billion arms sale to Israel, which she said was enabling a genocide being carried out with American-made weapons. The statement, posted to X in direct response to a New York Times report published the same day, marks one of the sharpest condemnations yet from the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus over the administration’s continued military support for Israel.
The Full Statement
Jayapal’s post, published at 7:41 p.m. on September 15, read in full:
“This is beyond unacceptable and I am furious at this news. US weapons are being used to perpetrate a genocide. This cannot continue in our name and I will be fighting in Congress to block this sale and all future weapons sales as long as the Israeli government continues to violate international humanitarian law.”
What Prompted the Reaction
Jayapal’s post came in direct response to a New York Times report confirming that the Trump administration had approved a $2.8 billion sale of heavy munitions to Israel, in what would rank among the largest single deliveries of American bombs to the country since the war in Gaza began. The proposed package includes 40,000 one-ton bombs, split evenly between 20,000 of the Pentagon’s MK-84 munitions and 20,000 BLU-117 bombs, according to a U.S. official cited in the report. The sale would also supply Israel with 20,000 I-2000 bunker-busting penetrator warheads, which are designed to smash through soil, rock or concrete before detonating on a delay.
The Weapons at the Center of the Controversy
The one-ton bombs central to the deal have drawn sustained international criticism because of the scale of destruction they cause in populated areas. According to the Times report, the blast from a single 2,000-pound bomb can be lethal at distances beyond 1,000 feet and can leave a crater as deep as 50 feet. Human rights organizations and foreign governments have repeatedly condemned Israel’s use of the munitions in dense urban settings in both Gaza and Lebanon, where strikes aimed at a single individual have at times killed dozens of civilians.
How the Sale Could Move Forward
The State Department has informally notified two congressional committees of the proposed deal, a step that typically precedes formal notification but does not guarantee lawmakers a binding vote. Under current law, Secretary of State Marco Rubio retains the authority to invoke emergency powers to push the sale through even if congressional leaders object, a tool he has used repeatedly during the administration’s tenure. If the sale proceeds through formal notification instead, both the House and Senate would need to pass a joint resolution of disapproval to block it, and that resolution would need the support of two-thirds of each chamber to survive a presidential veto.
A Pattern Stretching Back to the Biden Administration
The current package is not the first controversial shipment of this class of weapon. In mid-2024, the Biden administration paused a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs over concerns about their use in crowded civilian areas. President Trump allowed that shipment to proceed within days of taking office in January. In February 2026, his administration approved a separate $2.7 billion sale that included 35,000 of the same one-ton MK-84 and BLU-117 bombs now featured in the latest package.
Jayapal’s Record of Opposition to Arms Sales
Tuesday’s post is the latest in a long series of public statements Jayapal has made opposing U.S. weapons transfers to Israel. In March 2025, she and Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan introduced four Joint Resolutions of Disapproval targeting a combined package of more than 35,000 two-thousand-pound bombs, JDAM guidance kits, and Caterpillar bulldozers used for demolitions in Gaza. At the time, Jayapal said in a statement that “continuing to provide the Israeli government with offensive weapons, even as they violate both international and U.S. laws, is unacceptable and makes us complicit in this violence and destruction.”
In August 2025, Jayapal went further, releasing a formal statement declaring that she believed the Israeli government was committing genocide in Gaza, citing the scale of civilian casualties, the destruction of civilian infrastructure, and the blocking of humanitarian aid. She wrote that the United States was a “witness to, and complicit in” the events unfolding in the territory.
Jayapal has also co-led the Block the Bombs Act alongside Reps. Sara Jacobs, Delia Ramirez and Mark Pocan, legislation that would withhold the transfer of offensive weapons to Israel absent firm assurances they will not be used against civilian populations. “We can no longer be complicit and allow our tax dollars to facilitate this violence and destruction,” Jayapal said when the bill was introduced.
Dissent Beyond the Progressive Caucus
Opposition to the sale is not confined to Democrats. Conservative commentator and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson posted a lengthy criticism of Israel’s conduct in Gaza on social media, describing the campaign there as a “slaughter.” Carlson also warned that supplying Israel with additional destructive capacity would prolong the broader conflict with Iran, which the United States and Israel launched jointly in February 2026. “If you wanted to extend the Iran war into the indefinite future, this is exactly what you’d do,” Carlson wrote, placing blame on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for persuading Trump to authorize the offensive.
Israel’s Position
Israeli officials have defended the use of heavy munitions by arguing that Hamas fighters in Gaza and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon deliberately embed themselves among civilian populations, including in fortified bunkers and tunnel networks that require heavy ordnance to destroy. Israeli officials contend this tactic is intended to force higher civilian casualties and generate international pressure against Israel. Former U.S. officials and military analysts, however, have questioned whether Israel has too readily bypassed less destructive alternatives when less severe options were available.
The Broader Scale of U.S. Military Assistance
The proposed $2.8 billion sale would come on top of the baseline military assistance the United States already provides Israel each year, which totals $3.8 billion, including $3.3 billion in financing that Israel largely uses to purchase American-made weapons. An additional $500 million is earmarked annually for joint U.S.-Israeli missile-defense programs. Since the start of the current administration, arms sales to Israel that Congress has been notified of have totaled more than $12 billion, according to congressional resolution trackers.
Independent Findings on Gaza
Jayapal’s use of the word “genocide” echoes a growing body of independent findings on the conflict. A United Nations inquiry has determined that Israel committed genocide in Gaza, a conclusion Israel rejects, and the International Court of Justice issued provisional measures in 2024 ordering Israel to take steps to prevent genocide in the territory. Gaza health authorities have reported that more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in the military campaign to date.
A Diplomatic Backdrop
The timing of the approval places it just ahead of Netanyahu’s expected appearance at the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week, where he is set to address world leaders amid mounting international scrutiny of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. The sale also arrives despite what the Times described as a series of public disputes between Trump and Netanyahu over the scope of those operations, underscoring that friction between the two leaders has not translated into a reduction in U.S. arms support.
What Comes Next
For now, the $2.8 billion package remains in the informal notification stage, with the State Department declining to confirm or comment on any arms sale that has not yet been formally submitted to Congress. Jayapal’s Tuesday statement signals that she intends to pursue the same legislative route she has used against prior sales — introducing a Joint Resolution of Disapproval — though any such resolution would again face the steep two-thirds threshold needed to override a presidential veto, a bar that previous efforts led by Jayapal, Tlaib and Sen. Bernie Sanders have not cleared.