Van Hollen seeks removal of Israel defense provisions from NDAA

In a letter sent Tuesday to Democratic and Republican leaders, Van Hollen (D-Md.) and 11 other members of the Senate Democratic caucus called for three provisions to be excluded from the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Sen. Chuck Schumer did not sign the letter. The lawmakers said the provisions could constrain the administration’s ability to make independent security decisions and lock in commitments despite concerns about Israeli government actions in Gaza, the West Bank and elsewhere in the region.

Two measures—Section 1217 in the Senate-passed NDAA and Section 219 in the House version—would create a United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative. It is intended to accelerate joint defense technology research, development, testing, evaluation, coordination and industrial cooperation. The House and Senate must reconcile their versions before final passage, giving lawmakers another chance to remove the language.

The senators argued that the proposed agreements could give Israel leverage over U.S. weapons systems and sensitive military technology, and embed Israeli technology in the U.S. defense industrial base. They warned this could make future policy changes costly or difficult. The letter also said the United States does not share or co-produce many such technologies even with NATO and other treaty allies.

The lawmakers opposed Section 618 of the Fiscal Year 2027 Intelligence Authorization Act, which would require the executive branch to expand and enhance intelligence sharing with Israel. The IAA is usually included in the NDAA. They said the provision could prevent a president from limiting intelligence sharing when needed for U.S. security, citing public reports that the Defense Intelligence Agency had recently raised the counterintelligence threat from Israel to its highest level.

The letter followed President Donald Trump’s announcement a week earlier that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to end roughly $4 billion in annual U.S. military assistance to Israel. Drop Site reporter Julian Andreone suggested Section 219 could allow aid to be transferred outside the appropriations process. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) also called removing the military integration language a priority for the lame-duck session and said he was urging Democrats and party leaders to get Section 219 out of the defense bill.