South Texas U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar was one of six Democrats who voted in favor of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, which contained a controversial provision merging the militaries of the United States and Israel.
The Democratic lawmakers crossed the aisle on Wednesday to join 209 Republicans in passing the nearly $1.15 trillion defense bill before it heads to the Senate.
Aside from Cuellar, whose district includes a portion of San Antonio, the House Democrats who voted for the NDAA include U.S. Reps. Don Davis of N.C., Jared Golden of Maine, Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Adam Gray of California and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington.
Seven House Republicans voted against it, including Kentucky U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie.
“This NDAA is a betrayal of American sovereignty,” Massie posted on social media Wednesday.
Section 219 of the act proposes merging the resources of the United States and Israeli militaries, including data, technology and weaponry. The House excluded an amendment proposed by Massie and U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-California, that would have removed the section before passing the defense bill.
Section 219 directs the Defense Department to create the United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative, which would coordinate bilateral defense research, development, testing, evaluation and industrial cooperation between the two militaries.
The initiative would cover 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, Military.com reports.
In a June 1 letter from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Indiana Congressman Marlin Stutzman, Netanyahu took credit for the proposal, describing it as “my plan to shift the framework for US-Israel defense cooperation from aid to partnership.” Critics of the proposal have noted it as the reason Netanyahu’s rhetoric has recently shifted away from asking for additional aid from the United States.
The United States has provided $21.7 billion in direct military aid and arms transfers to Israel since Oct. 7, 2023, according to Brown University’s Costs of War Project. This figure does not include the tens of billions of dollars in arms sales agreements that have been committed for the years to come, researchers note in the project’s findings.
“I voted for the National Defense Authorization Act to strengthen our national defense while improving the pay, housing, and childcare for our service members and their families,” Cuellar told The Hill on Wednesday. “This vote is one step in the legislative process and I will continue working toward a final bipartisan agreement that strengthens our national security while providing more resources to the men and women who serve our country.”
Section 219 originated as the bipartisan and bicameral United States-Israel FUTURES Act, introduced in the House by U.S. Reps. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, and Don Davis, D-N.C., with companion legislation in the Senate from U.S. Sens. Ted Budd, R-N.C., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., according to Military.com.
Additionally, Wednesday’s passage of the NDAA tacked on the controversial SAVE Act, an unrelated voter restriction bill that has struggled to pass in the House. Jackson, who represents the Texas panhandle, praised the NDAA for including the SAVE Act, which would require people to present proof of citizenship both when registering to vote and when casting a ballot.
Critics of the new voter restrictions argue it would disenfranchise large groups of voters because they don’t have easy access to their birth certificates or have passports.
“House Republicans are DELIVERING on President Trump’s America First agenda!” Jackson wrote on Facebook, though he made no mention of combining the United States military with that of another country.
In an official statement after voting for the measure, Jackson said that it “bolsters our Special Operations Forces and intelligence community, revitalizes the Defense Industrial Base, and makes historic investments in the capabilities we need to maintain the edge over America’s adversaries.”
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