Senators Urge Colleagues to Block NDAA Until Pro

Honest, paywall-free news is rare. Please support our boldly independent journalism with a donation of any size. A group of Democratic senators is urging colleagues to block the advancement of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) until the Senate has the opportunity to strip it of “reckless” provisions that mandate military and intelligence cooperation between the U.S. and Israel. In a letter to colleagues, six senators, led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), said that they already oppose the massive, $1.15 trillion Pentagon budget for next year, representing a nearly 30 percent increase from this year’s budget. But they’re even further incensed, they wrote, by a provision that mandates the creation of a program to deepen coordination between the U.S. and Israeli military and intelligence, known as the “U.S.-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative.” “These agreements threaten U.S. national security interests by handing the Netanyahu government leverage over American weapons systems and military technology,” the letter says. “This is not hypothetical. The Netanyahu government has already leveraged its existing coproduction agreement with the United States on missile defense to block American Iron Dome batteries from reaching Ukraine — directly against U.S. national security interests.” The U.S.-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative would give Israel special access to U.S. military technology that’s not available to any other country in the world. Human rights advocates have previously called the provision, quietly tacked onto the bill earlier this year, “deeply troubling” in light of the violations of international and domestic law already committed through the U.S.’s existing military cooperation with Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has personally advocated for the provision. Experts have said that it would give Israel an even greater voice in guiding U.S. foreign policy, while also making the U.S. more dependent on Israel’s military supply chain. The lawmakers also express concern about a provision within the 2027 Intelligence Authorization Act, which is typically added onto the Pentagon budget bill before passage, which mandates that the executive branch “expand and enhance intelligence sharing with the Government of Israel” and explicitly bans the reduction or suspension of intelligence sharing with Israel. “Imposing such a constraint on the President’s ability to protect America’s vital intelligence is reckless at any time, but particularly now, when according to public reports, the Trump Administration recently raised the counterintelligence threat level from Israel to the highest level,” the lawmakers wrote. They say that fellow senators should work to block the advancement of the budget legislation until they are able to undertake a debate and vote on amendments to remove the provisions. On top of Van Hollen, the letter was also signed by Senators Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts), Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts), and Peter Welch (D-Vermont). The provision comes at a time of growing opposition among the American public, especially Democrats and the left, to expanding the U.S.’s cooperation with Israel. The lawmakers point out that a measure by Sanders to block the sale of certain weapons to Israel recently reached a high point of 40 votes — a level of support that would have been virtually unheard of prior to Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Press freedom is under attack As Trump cracks down on political speech, independent media is increasingly necessary. Truthout produces reporting you won’t see in the mainstream: journalism from the frontlines of global conflict, interviews with grassroots movement leaders, high-quality legal analysis and more. Our work is possible thanks to reader support. Help Truthout catalyze change and social justice — make a tax-deductible monthly or one-time donation today.