House Passes 219-206 NDAA as Ocasio-Cortez Draws Fire Over Israel Military Merger Claim
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 23
House Passes 219-206 NDAA as Ocasio-Cortez Draws Fire Over Israel Military Merger Claim
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 23
Summary
A 219-206 House vote sent the FY2027 defense bill forward with Section 219 intact, after Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez warned it would “merge parts” of the U.S. military with Israel’s.
Section 219 expands U.S.-Israel cooperation on military technology, supply chains, research, AI, cybersecurity and joint exercises, and critics said that falls short of any military merger.
Lee Zeldin and Rep. Mike Lawler accused Ocasio-Cortez of misrepresenting the bill, while Hakeem Jeffries warned a separate bid to cut Israel aid could weaken U.S. security and aid Hamas and Hezbollah.
Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna tried to strip Section 219, but House leadership blocked a vote on their amendment; Massie then said he would oppose the full NDAA.
The clash highlights a widening split in Congress over how far U.S.-Israel defense ties should go, especially inside a Democratic Party already divided on military support for Israel.