The House of Representatives is moving forward with the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with Section 219 still included in the roughly 1.1 trillion dollar defense bill, preserving a proposal that would significantly expand US-Israel defense technology cooperation.
The chamber voted 214-211 on Tuesday to approve the rule governing debate on H.R. 8800, allowing lawmakers to proceed to a final NDAA vote while blocking consideration of a bipartisan amendment that sought to remove Section 219.
The amendment, introduced by Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California, would have stripped the provision from the bill. Because the Rules Committee did not make the amendment eligible for floor consideration, lawmakers will not receive a separate vote on whether to remove the section.
The House is expected to hold a recorded vote on the full NDAA on Wednesday.
What Section 219 would do
Section 219 would require the defense secretary to appoint a Pentagon executive agent to oversee a United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative.
That official would coordinate bilateral defense research, development, testing, evaluation, industrial cooperation and supply chain collaboration between the two countries.
The provision originated from the bipartisan United States-Israel FUTURES Act, introduced in the House by Representatives Ronny Jackson and Don Davis, with companion legislation in the Senate from Ted Budd and Kirsten Gillibrand.
Supporters say the initiative would help preserve America’s technological edge and accelerate the transition of emerging defense technologies into military use.
Technologies covered by the initiative
The proposal would cover a broad range of advanced military technologies, including:
- Counter-drone systems
- Missile and air defense
- Artificial intelligence
- Quantum technology
- Autonomous systems
- Directed-energy weapons
- Advanced sensors
- Cybersecurity
- Electronic warfare
- Biotechnology and medical defense
The legislation also envisions joint testing, production, procurement, supply chain coordination and the incorporation of Israeli or jointly developed technologies into US military programs.
The House Armed Services Committee said the executive agent would be responsible for “synchronizing cooperative efforts” between the United States and Israel and would be required to report regularly to congressional defense committees.
Opposition from both parties
Massie criticized House leaders for preventing debate on the provision and announced that he would vote against the NDAA with Section 219 included.
“Unfortunately, the Rule passed just now and no debate or vote was allowed on section 219, integration of US military technology and supply chains with Israel’s. The NDAA will receive a recorded vote tomorrow with section 219 in it. I’ll vote no,” he wrote on X.
Khanna argued that the United States should not integrate its military infrastructure with another country in a way that could affect American sovereignty.
The amendment attracted support from a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Jim McGovern, Jesús “Chuy” García, Rashida Tlaib, Don Beyer, Jill Tokuda, Derek Tran and Joe Courtney.
Representative Anna Paulina Luna also submitted a separate amendment to strike Section 219, but it was not made eligible for consideration.
Senate contains a parallel proposal
The Senate version of the NDAA includes a similar initiative in Section 1217, which incorporates the FUTURES Act framework.
That provision would establish the same United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative and expand bilateral research, technology development, testing, information sharing and industrial collaboration.
Senator Bernie Sanders has objected to the measure, arguing that Congress should not grant Israel a level of military integration that exceeds arrangements with some NATO allies.
Sanders was joined by Chris Van Hollen, Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey, Jeff Merkley and Peter Welch, who urged Senate leaders not to advance the NDAA without a separate debate on the Israel-related defense and intelligence provisions.
Why supporters say it matters
Backers of the FUTURES Act contend that closer cooperation with Israel would help the United States rapidly adapt to emerging threats such as drones, electronic warfare and underground military infrastructure.
They argue that combining research and industrial capabilities would strengthen American military readiness and speed the deployment of new battlefield technologies.
What happens next
If the House approves H.R. 8800, Section 219 will become part of the chamber’s official NDAA position, but it will not immediately become law.
The Senate must still pass its own defense authorization bill, and negotiators from both chambers would then have to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions.
As a result, Section 219 could ultimately survive unchanged, be modified during conference negotiations, or be removed before a final NDAA reaches President Donald Trump’s desk.
For now, the House’s decision to keep the provision in the bill represents a significant victory for advocates of expanded US-Israel defense integration and a notable setback for the bipartisan coalition that tried to stop it.
TIMES NOW | OPINION
Shuffle one secretary out, shuffle another in — and the NEET question still goes unanswered. Whether or not either official did anything wrong, a transfer isn’t accountability. Students didn’t lose a year over who sits in which chair; they lost it because a paper leaked. Fix the exam and its leaky strongrooms, not the org chart.