An amendment introduced by Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) to strip a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would “integrate/synchronize” the U.S. and Israeli militaries was blocked in the House Rules Committee.

The committee declined to make the amendment eligible for debate.

Section Of Drafted 2027 NDAA Allegedly Would “Integrate/Synchronize” The United States And Israeli Militaries

"This is unconscionable," Khanna said.

"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," he added.

Watch below:

Military.com explained further:

The amendment, introduced by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) would have removed Section 219 of the NDAA, formerly Section 224. The Rules Committee’s list of amendments made “in order” did not include the bipartisan proposal, ensuring it would not receive debate or a recorded vote before the House considered the broader defense bill.

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The decision effectively prevented lawmakers from publicly voting on a proposal that had attracted support from across the political spectrum and generated significant grassroots opposition to the underlying provision.

"Section 219 (was 224) of the NDAA contains a dangerous provision to integrate our military tech with Israel’s. @RepRoKhanna & I submitted an amendment to strike 219. I included the Rules Committee roster here; 7 of 13 members must agree in order for our amendment to get a vote," Massie said earlier this month.

“The dangers of allowing any other nation to access our sensitive military technologies are obvious, including the fact that back doors and spyware can be installed that will most certainly be used by the Israelis to influence U.S. policy," said former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent, according to Responsible Statecraft.

Responsible Statecraft has more:

Paul Pillar, who spent more than a quarter century working at the Central Intelligence Agency, has raised serious concerns about Section 224 and a related measure that would effectively force the U.S. to share intelligence with Israel. “In intelligence, Israel is more of an adversary than an ally. Being an adversary in intelligence means indulging in the hostile act of espionage. Israel has a long record of conducting that type of hostile act against the United States,” Pillar wrote in Responsible Statecraft.

To Pillar’s point, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) officials recently revealed that Israeli espionage efforts in the U.S. have been deemed “critical,” the highest threat level in the DIA system.

By rejecting the Khanna and Massie amendment, the Rules Committee on Monday ensured the American public would not even get to see how their representatives would vote on this pivotal issue. This is despite unprecedented levels of public distrust in the Israeli government and widespread public outrage directed at these proposals.

 

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