House lawmakers plan to “fight” against a proposal to extend U.S.-Israel military cooperation that was passed in the annual defense spending bill.
The House of Representatives approved its version of the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on July 21 by a 216-212 vote, authorizing roughly $1.15 trillion in national security spending while establishing policy priorities for the Department of Defense (DOD) for the coming fiscal year.
One of the parts of the bill, Section 2019, would expand U.S.-Israel defense technology cooperation. It has been overwhelmingly supported by House Republicans while House Democrats have been split on its integration.
Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) reacted with disdain after the House passed the NDAA and excluded an amendment that they had introduced that would have blocked this section. Now, it’s in the Senate’s hands.
“@RepThomasMassie and I are leading the fight against military integration with Israel,” Khanna posted on X. “Congress was denied a vote on an amendment to stop it. Now we will fight to strip this provision in the conference between the House and Senate.”
“This NDAA is a betrayal of American sovereignty,” added Massie, who recently lost his GOP primary and will leave Congress next January, in a post on X before the vote. “Final vote total for the NDAA today which tragically merges our military technology and supply chains with Israel’s. Let’s hope this version fails in the Senate because Section 219 is a betrayal of our sovereignty.”
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), speaking with TMZ on Capitol Hill, said that unnamed House “staffers” had encouraged her to vote for the NDAA that includes what she described as the “tech swap” between the U.S. and Israel.
“It’s a big issue on the left and the right, and many of my constituents have reached out and they don’t want this provision in the bill.”
What Section 219 Would Do
Section 219 would direct the defense secretary to designate a Pentagon “executive agent” to oversee the United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative. That official would coordinate bilateral defense research, development, testing, evaluation and industrial cooperation.
The proposal was originally included in the bipartisan, bicameral United States-Israel FUTURES Act, introduced in the House by Reps. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) and Don Davis (D-N.C.) with companion legislation from Sens. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).
The initiative would cover counter-drone systems, missile and air defense, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, autonomous systems, directed-energy weapons, advanced sensors, cybersecurity, electronic warfare, biotechnology and medical defense.
Its supporters have said it will help the U.S. with technological advancements, but opponents have raised concerns that it sacrifices American sovereignty.
Massie and Khanna introduced a bipartisan amendment in June that would have removed Section 219 from the bill. Reps. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) later joined the proposal.
United States Capitol building with the American flag blowing in the wind in Washington, D.C., Dec. 10. 2025. The US. Capitol is the meeting place of the nation’s legislature, the U.S. Congress. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Eli Baker)
The House Rules Committee declined to permit a vote on the amendment during its June 29 meeting.
It remains unclear what legislative and political routes Khanna and Massie will now take to block the advancement of the proposal.
The NDAA also included one of the largest proposed military pay raises in years, providing increases ranging from 5% to 7%, depending on rank.
The legislation would also require the DOD to create a process allowing eligible service members to enroll in transitional health care within two business days after becoming eligible, speeding up their access to healthcare.
The NDAA now heads to the Senate, which is expected to consider its own version of the legislation before negotiators from both chambers meet to resolve differences and produce a final compromise bill before President Donald Trump will sign it to become law.
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