The question is whether to institutionalize political and military power for Israel at the expense of the credibility of US government: if the 2027 NDAA cannot pass this Congressional Session, it will be required to wait until a new Session of Congress occurs in January, when the House will take another vote on an already controversial and divisive legislation.
On November 10, 12 US Senators sent a letter to Congressional leadership requesting the removal of three objectionable portions of the 2027 NDAA which focus on the merging of Israeli government’s military and intelligence relationship with the US relationship.
The letter was addressed to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and the senior Republican and Democratic members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.
The signatories include incoming Majority Whip Brian Schatz and incoming Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray with Senators Chris Van Hollen, Elizabeth Warren, Peter Welch, Ed Markey, Jeff Merkley, Tina Smith, Tammy Duckworth, Ron Wyden, and Andy Kim.
The 2027 National Defense Authorization Act was approved by the House on July 22nd and has been awaiting final approval by the Senate.
At issue are Section 1217 of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s version of the defense authorization bill and Section 219 of the House-passed legislation which would mandate the creation of a “United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative” intended to expand and accelerate bilateral defense with Israel cooperation.
The senators warned that such arrangements could place sensitive American technologies increasingly within Israel’s reach and create long-term dependencies within the US defense industry.
“The agreements and projects these provisions envision threaten US national security interests by handing Israel leverage over American weapons systems and military technology,” the lawmakers wrote.
Further, the Senators argued that
“If enacted, these agreements would create long-term dependencies by embedding Israeli technology into the US defense industrial base that could make future policy changes costly or difficult to implement.”
The letter directly criticized Netanyahu’s efforts to redefine the US-Israel defense relationship, arguing that the proposed legislation could advance an Israeli initiative to shift bilateral cooperation away from traditional American military assistance quoting a letter from Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Rep. Martin Stutzman (R-Ind.).
“I was glad to receive your proposed Congressional resolution endorsing my plan to shift the framework of US-Israeli defense cooperation from aid to partnership,” Netanyahu wrote.
The Senators wrote in their letter that
“The intention behind this is clear: to move US security assistance governed through more traditional pathways, like Foreign Military Financing and arms sales, to more opaque, less discernible avenues.”
In other words, the US is at risk of losing its independence and international leadership to Israel.
The Senators also sought the removal of a third measure, Section 618 of the Fiscal Year 2027 Intelligence Authorization Act, which the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence had included in legislation intended to become part of the final NDAA.
“The provision would tie the President’s hands from limiting intelligence sharing with Israel, even when doing so may be necessary to protect US national security,” the Senators wrote.
“For all these reasons, we should not legally mandate an expansion in defense co-production or a requirement to increase intelligence sharing with the Government of Israel”.
The Senators argue that decisions should remain subject to independent American national security assessments rather than being embedded in long-term statutory commitments and whether decisions could ultimately reduce America’s freedom to make its own national security decisions.
The essential point here is that the House-approved $1.14 trillion 2027 National Defense Authorization Act occurred on July 22, 2026 during the 119th Session of Congress. The vote of 219-212 was considered by Republicans as a vote of approval on the Iran War with 209 GOP votes included six Democrats.
Unless the Senate approves HR 8800 between now and January 3rd when the 119th Session ends, that House approval will no longer be relevant and will necessitate a repeat when the 120th Session of Congress begins.
Therefore, the NDAA will have to be approved again by another House floor vote adding urgency to the Senate’s current refusal.
The 119th Session of Congress ends on January 3, 2027 as the 120th Session of Congress convenes exactly on January 3rd 2027 at 12:00 pm EST beginning the legislative calendar anew.
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Via https://www.globalresearch.ca/israeli-us-military-merger-risk/5945672
