1. United States
2. Ky.
3. Letter

I strongly urge you to oppose Section 219 of the House FY2027 NDAA and parallel Senate language establishing the "United States–Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative." This proposal goes far beyond traditional military cooperation. It would create a framework for joint research, procurement, co-production, technology transfers, network integration, and data-sharing across advanced military technologies, embedding the U.S.-Israel relationship deep within defense acquisition and industrial systems. I am particularly concerned for five reasons. First, it would reduce democratic oversight and transparency by shifting key aspects of the relationship into defense procurement and technology programs that receive far less public scrutiny than direct military aid and appropriations. Second, it would further entangle the United States in another nation's military policies and make future policy independence more difficult. Once defense industries, supply chains, and military technologies become deeply integrated, reversing course becomes politically and financially challenging. Third, it ignores longstanding counterintelligence concerns. U.S. authorities have investigated significant Israeli espionage activities for decades, including the Jonathan Pollard spy case, the NUMEC nuclear-materials investigation, the krytron-smuggling operation, and the Lawrence Franklin case involving an Israeli diplomat and senior AIPAC officials. Recent reports also indicate that the Defense Intelligence Agency elevated Israel's counterintelligence threat designation to its highest level. Fourth, Congress should not deepen military integration at the very moment the United States has been drawn into a catastrophic war on Iran for Israel. As Secretary Marco Rubio has acknowledged, this is a war being fought for Israel, while President Trump continues to justify it by repeating Prime Minister Netanyahu's claims about Iran's nuclear program instead of relying on the U.S. intelligence community's assessment. This war is already destabilizing the global economy and has begun to harm the American economy and American people through higher costs, market instability, and recession risk. Finally, Congress should learn from past policy failures. Before the Iraq War, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was among the most prominent advocates for military action against Iraq. The consequences were catastrophic for both Americans and the Middle East. Congress should ensure that U.S. foreign policy remains independent and based on American interests—not institutionalized through permanent military integration with any foreign government. Please oppose Section 219 and any similar Senate provisions. Thank you.