Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso encouraged Republicans at a party meeting Tuesday to keep up pressure on Democrats over Israel after their recent turn against arms sales, according to a person briefed on the presentation.
The Wyoming Republican recounted to Senate Republicans that in the past 12 months Democrats have gone from 15 of their members voting to block arm sales, to 27 Democrats voting to stop the sales, to 40, last week.
The No. 2 Republican argued that Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is now Democrats’ standard-bearer on the issue — and that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is isolated, with just a handful of colleagues agreeing with him.
Schumer said on Tuesday that his “caucus is united and focused on ending the war in Iran.”
Democrats will force a vote on Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s resolution today.