House Passes $1.15 Trillion Defense Bill Amid Israel Integration Row

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2027 passed largely along party lines, with Republicans voting 213-1 in favor and Democrats 205-5 against. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky provided the lone GOP dissent, while five Democrats—Don Davis, Jared Golden, Adam Gray, Vicente Gonzalez, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez—crossed the aisle to support the measure alongside independent Kevin Kiley.

Central to the controversy is Section 219, which mandates the integration of American and Israeli research and development, and Section 622, which expands intelligence sharing. Rep. Ro Khanna and Massie attempted to strip Section 219 from the bill, but the House Rules Committee blocked the debate. Khanna now eyes the upcoming House-Senate conference as the final opportunity to excise the provision.

Beyond military cooperation, the bill faced intense Democratic resistance due to the inclusion of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act. By using a procedural maneuver to merge the voting requirements with the must-pass defense spending, Republican leadership forced a vote on the Trump-backed mandate for citizenship proof in federal elections. The bill now moves to the Senate, where Sen. Bernie Sanders has already signaled his intent to block the integration of the two nations' militaries, calling the current version a dangerous expansion of support for the Netanyahu government.