The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is urging the U.S. Senate to reject provisions within the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would mandate expanded U.S.-Israel military and intelligence integration, and to oppose funding for what it describes as an "illegal, unauthorized, and unprovoked joint U.S.-Israel war on Iran." CAIR specifically calls for the removal of Section 1217 from the Senate's version of the NDAA.
The House of Representatives recently passed its version of the FY2027 NDAA, H.R. 8800, by a narrow 216-212 vote, authorizing approximately $1.15 trillion in defense spending. This House bill includes Section 219, which establishes a "United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative." Efforts by Representatives Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) to strike Section 219 were blocked by the House Rules Committee, and an amendment by Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) was deemed cosmetic, leaving the underlying framework intact.
The Senate's parallel Section 1217 in S. 4784 would direct the Department of Defense to expand cooperation with Israel in critical areas such as artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, cybersecurity, biotechnology, and advanced weapons development. This goes beyond the existing $3.8 billion annual U.S. military assistance to Israel by creating long-term institutional structures linking defense technology and production. A Senate vote on July 14 rejected cloture on S. 4784, delaying its consideration, but CAIR emphasizes that the threat remains.
CAIR said, "Congress has once again demonstrated that, when given a choice between investing in the American people and investing in Israel’s war machine, it too often chooses the latter." The organization thanked the 205 House Democrats and Congressman Thomas Massie who voted against the measure and called on all Senators to "reject Section 1217, reject any provisions mandating expanded intelligence sharing with Israel, guarantee full debate and amendment votes, and refuse to advance the NDAA unless these dangerous military-integration provisions are removed.”
In related actions, CAIR and its Florida chapter are advocating for the release of Sama Safi, a 20-year-old Palestinian American student reportedly detained by Israel, ahead of her military court hearing on July 27. Additionally, CAIR-NJ has urged vigilance among Muslim communities following an uptick in harassment targeting mosques and anti-Muslim rhetoric, with Public Affairs Director Naureen Akhter saying, "No house of worship should have to fear intimidation or harassment."