Action 232: No Section 224!
Background: Israel has been a very militarized country from its inception in 1948 (1), with increasingly problematic results. Significant amounts of military and financial aid have been sent by the US to Israel since the late 1960s (2) Now, a terrifying escalation of the ongoing military relationship between the US and Israel is embedded in the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). (Federal fiscal year 2027 starts October 1 2026). Versions of the Act in the House and Senate have passed out of their respective committees, with the full House scheduled to vote on its version before their July recess. (3) The Senate version is not yet scheduled for a vote. (4)
The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft (5) reports that “Buried in the House's version ... is section 224, entitled “United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative.” The provision would arguably do more to intertwine the U.S. military with the Israeli military than the more than $200 billion (inflation adjusted) in military assistance Israel has received from the U.S. since its founding in 1948.” (6) Section 224 would remove transparency, be difficult and costly to unwind, and give Israel leverage over the US that could make it difficult to oppose future Israeli actions. We do not need to sign an agreement that would limit our nation’s ability to act in accordance with our conscience in the dire matter of war. (7)
Action:
1. Consider signing Demand Progress’s petition against Section 224, HERE. Or, craft your own objection and send it directly to our entire Congressional delegation.
2. Call our members of Congress and ask that they oppose Section 224 of the NDAA. Jared Golden, our “lame duck”, is also a known “hawk” when it comes to Israel, and he is a recipient of large AIPAC contributions. Urge him to do better in protecting US independence.
Urgency: The NDAA will likely be voted on in July. It is important that Section 224 is publicly recognized, debated and defeated ASAP.
Extra Credit:
Note: This action item originally came to us from Indivisible Bangor.
(1) https://phenomenalworld.org/analysis/israel-military/(2) https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/16/why-israel-allies-explainer
(3) https://strickland.house.gov/2026/06/05/fiscal-2027-ndaa-approved-by-house-armed-services-
(5) https://quincyinst.org/about/#
(6) https://responsiblestatecraft.org/israel-us-military/
(7) https://drshushan.substack.com/p/while-americans-sour-on-aid-to-israel