Committee blocks Massie and Khanna's amendment to cut aid to Israel
The House Rules Committee blocked an effort from Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) on Monday evening to cut U.S. funding to Israel.
The bipartisan amendment would have removed Section 219, titled “The United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative,” from the National Defense Authorization Act, but committee members rejected the amendment.
If passed, Section 219 would require the Secretary of Defense to designate an executive agent whose sole task is to further integrate U.S. and Israeli military technology.
The committee’s rejection means the House will not have the opportunity to vote to remove Section 219, formerly Section 224.
Chaired by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), the House rules committee determines what amendments are allowed and if bills proceed to a vote. The committee’s list of amendments didn’t include Khanna and Massie’s proposal, thus preventing it from being voted on the House floor.
“Congress has blocked Thomas Massie and my amendment to prevent the integration of our military with Israel,” Khanna said in an X post on Tuesday. “This is unconscionable. They’re not even giving us a vote on the amendment. Thomas and I will continue to fight to make sure we don’t compromise American sovereignty.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised recent legislative efforts “to shift the framework for US-Israel defense cooperation from aid to partnership.”
Meanwhile, critics of the legislation argue that Section 219 would make it easier for Israel to commit espionage against the U.S., and that it threatens American independence from foreign influence.
The Defense Intelligence Agency recently designated Israeli espionage “critical,” the highest threat level in the agency, NBC News reported.
The Senate’s proposed Intelligence Authorization Act also includes similar provisions to enhance intelligence sharing between the U.S. and Israel. The Senate legislation requires all future presidents to document any determinations to suspend, reduce, or limit intelligence and security cooperation with Israel.
Massie ripped Section 219 as an “unprecedented escalation of foreign involvement” in the U.S. military in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
“This goes well beyond our pre-existing military relationships, such as with Five Eyes nations, or our more conventional defense partnerships with foreign militaries that are typically limited to information sharing, joint exercises, or bilateral development of specific weapons contracts,” Massie said. “If Section 219 is signed into law, the American people should see it as Congress fully capitulating our nation’s autonomy to foreign influence.”