On July 22, the House of Representatives approved the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), H.R. 8800, for fiscal year 2027, which includes a provision expanding defense cooperation and integration between the United States and Israel.
The vote was 216-212, largely along party lines, but six Democrats joined the Republican majority: Reps. Henry Cuellar D-TX), Don Davis (D-NC), Jared Golden (D-ME), Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), Adam Gray (D-CA), and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA).
The bill included a provision titled Section 219 which would “expand and enhance intelligence sharing” with Israel, establish joint ventures for the co-production of weapons, promote joint military exercises, and integrate Israeli weapons into existing U.S. systems and programs. Critics say it amounts to integrating the U.S. and Israeli militaries.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) introduced an amendment to remove Section 219 from the legislation, but the House Rules Committee blocked debate on it. Massie was the only House Republican to vote against H.R. 8800.
Human rights groups and lawmakers have been sounding the alarm over the proposal and are fighting to have it removed from the final version of the NDAA.
What is Section 219?
Last month, former State Department official Josh Paul and co-founder of the political action committee A New Policy, told Mondoweiss that Section 219 could ultimately enable the Israeli government to steer U.S. foreign policy.
“This integration of the U.S. and Israeli defense industrial bases would expose our most sensitive technologies to a country – and an industry – with a track record of industrial espionage, and would give Israel leverage over U.S. foreign and defense policy through making us reliant on their supply chain,” said Paul.
In Responsible Statecraft, Ben Freeman, Director of the Democratizing Foreign Policy program at the Quincy Institute, says the provision could strengthen Israel’s influence in the U.S. beyond the military.
“It would give the Israeli government the opportunity to greatly expand one of the most powerful levers of influence in U.S. politics: jobs in the U.S. By expanding or starting new co-production facilities like it already has in Mississippi and Arkansas, the Israeli government could boast of providing jobs on U.S. soil, thereby securing allies among members of Congress who represent the districts where those jobs lie,” he noted.
An Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) explainer on the effort cites recent Israeli actions as further reason to oppose further cooperation with the country.
“For over two years, Americans have been horrified by the images live-streamed from Gaza. Israel’s violence against Palestinians has played a large part in historic decreases in support for Israel and in historic degrees of sympathy for Palestinians,” it reads. “Now Israel is explicitly exporting its model of violence from Gaza to Lebanon, where Israel is killing thousands of Lebanese people, attacking hospitals and first responders, demolishing entire Lebanese villages, and forcibly displacing more than 1 million people–just like in Gaza. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dragged the U.S. into an unconstitutional and illegal attack against Iran, which has killed thousands of Iranian civilians and greatly aggravated the affordability crisis for people in the U.S.”
“Considering this context, Congress should not deepen military ties to Israel.”
Congressional opposition
Leading up to the vote, multiple lawmakers criticized the provision across social media.
“While Americans are focused on other things, like how to make ends meet in the face of a rapidly rising cost of living, tomorrow the House will vote to merge our military technology and supply chains with Israel’s,” wrote Massie. “Our Founder’s would be appalled at what Congress is doing now.”
“The NDAA includes a provision that would deepen military ties with Israel. This is an outrageous threat to our country’s security and autonomy,” said Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN). “Americans want no part in Netanyahu’s genocidal regime. Congress cannot continue to bankroll Israel’s campaign of terror.”
“This amendment is an existential threat to American sovereignty and democracy,” declared Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
Israel’s role
In a letter to Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-OK) last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to the provision that ultimately became Section 219 as “my plan.”
For months, Netanyahu has publicly stated that he wants to wean Israel off military aid and “reset” the U.S./Israel relationship through deeper integration. “I want to draw down to zero the American financial support, the financial component of the military cooperation that we have,” he told 60 Minutes earlier this year.
This push comes amid talks to between the U.S. government and the Israeli government to establish a “new security cooperation framework,” as Israel memorandum of understanding (MOU) on military aid is set to expire in 2028.
The vote also comes amid a deepening skepticism of Israel among the U.S. population.
An AP-NORC poll released earlier this month shows that 40% of U.S. adults believe the country is “too supportive” of Israel, while a Gallup poll from February shows more Americans sympathize with Palestinians than Israelis. A Pew survey from August found that 60% of Americans now hold a negative view of Israel, up from 53% in 2025.
What comes next
The proposed NDAA, with its own version of the Israel provision, will soon face a vote in the Senate, where Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) are leading an effort to call for an amendment vote to strip it out.
“Americans are saying loudly and clearly: No more US military support for the extremist Netanyahu government,” said Sanders after the House vote. “That is why Congress must vote NO on the defense spending bill, which brings the US and Israeli militaries even closer together.”
Pending the Senate vote and negotiations between the two chambers on the details of the military bill, Congress could pave the way for a redefined U.S.-Israel relationship.
Michael Arria
Michael Arria is Mondoweiss’ U.S. correspondents. He is the author of Medium Blue: The Politics of MSNBC. Follow him on x at @michaelarria.
