ADC Welcomes Senate Vote Blocking NDAA and U.S.-Israel Military Integration

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 15, 2026

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Washington, D.C. | Senate Democrats blocked the National Defense Authorization Act from moving forward Tuesday, opposing both the Trump administration’s handling of the war with Iran and provisions designed to further intertwine the United States and Israeli militaries.

In a rare defeat for a must-pass annual defense policy bill, the Senate voted 50–46 against an initial procedural motion to advance the NDAA. Senate Majority Leader, John Thune, was the only Republican who voted against advancing the bill – a procedural move that allows him to bring it before the Senate again. 

ADC President and Legal Director, Jenin Younes, released the following statement: 

“ADC welcomes the historic Senate vote blocking advancement of the FY2027 National Defense Authorization Act. We thank every senator who voted no, especially Senators Chris Van Hollen, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey, Jeff Merkley, and Peter Welch, who demanded scrutiny of provisions that would permanently intertwine the U.S. and Israeli military and intelligence apparatuses – a measure rejected by the majority of Americans. This bill would have severely compromised America’s independence and its ability to pressure Israel to stop its military expansions and genocides of the Palestinian and Lebanese people.”

This vote marks a significant break from Washington’s decades-long refusal to question the costs of our relationship with Israel. Israel’s increasingly belligerent conduct has made it liability to American interests, while U.S. taxpayers and servicemembers are left to bear the consequences. A majority of Americans no longer want their tax dollars used to pay for Israel’s bombs that indiscriminately kill children in the Middle East.

Congress must ensure this “Deadly Merger” – the U.S.-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative – is removed from any future version of the NDAA. 

The public’s demand remains unchanged: America, not Israel, comes first. American tax dollars must be invested in our own communities, and U.S. military and foreign policy must no longer be shaped, constrained, or subordinated by Israel’s interests.”

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About ADC

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is the largest Arab American grassroots organization in the United States, founded in 1980 by former Senator James Abourezk.  ADC’s mission is to defend and promote the human rights, civil rights, and liberties of at least 3.7 million Arab Americans residing in the United States. Through its work, ADC fights discrimination, enhances public understanding of Arab history and culture, and partners with marginalized communities globally to advance social justice.