1. United States
2. Ark.
3. Letter

We, the undersigned residents of Arkansas, are writing to you at a critical moment for our national security and fiscal future. The House of Representatives recently passed the FY2027 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 8800) on a narrow, highly contested vote. As this legislation moves to the Senate floor, we urge you to stand up for Arkansas taxpayers by demanding major amendments to this bill.While we firmly support maintaining a strong military to defend our nation, H.R. 8800 contains deeply troubling provisions that undermine American independence and financial stability: Foreign Military Integration (Section 219/224): The bill establishes the U.S.-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative. This goes far beyond traditional foreign aid by intertwining our military-industrial complex with a foreign power through automated data fusion, joint AI pipelines, and shared weapons licensing. This unprecedented integration strips away vital independent American oversight and risks entangling U.S. forces in overseas conflicts without transparent congressional debate. An Unchecked $1.15 Trillion Defense Budget: At a time when our national debt is soaring, this bill authorizes record-breaking defense spending that adds billions to the federal deficit without accountability. True national security requires economic stability, not a blank check.As our representatives, we look to you to champion constitutional transparency and fiscal sanity. We urge you to introduce and support robust floor amendments to completely strip Section 219/224 and cap the defense topline budget.We respectfully ask that you vote NO on the final passage of H.R. 8800 unless these sweeping foreign entanglements and wasteful spending provisions are entirely removed. Arkansans are watching, and we expect our leaders to prioritize American sovereignty.