- United States
- Utah
- Letter
Do not support the NDAA if Section 219 — the so-called "United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative" — remains in the bill. This provision would permanently bind the U.S. military to Israel's through joint weapons development, mandatory intelligence sharing, and a prohibition on the president limiting that collaboration even in response to human rights abuses. It would make our military more integrated with Israel's than with any NATO ally, and future Congresses would find it nearly impossible to undo.
This is being snuck through a must-pass bill precisely because public support has collapsed. Sixty percent of Americans now hold an unfavorable view of Israel, up from 42% in 2022. Fifty-seven percent of young Republicans and 84% of young Democrats share that view. Rep. Adam Smith, ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, already withdrew his support, stating he will vote to remove the provision if it reaches the floor. That's the right call. With over 73,000 people killed in Gaza and a war in Iran that has cost American lives and destabilized the global economy, permanently locking the U.S. into this alliance by statute is not a defense policy — it's a blank check with no exit.