(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) The House on Wednesday passed its version of the massive $1.15 trillion 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes Section 219 (formerly Section 224), a provision to further integrate the US and Israeli militaries, a scheme Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described as “my plan.”
The NDAA passed largely along party lines in a 216-212 vote. Seven Republicans voted against it, and two didn’t vote, meaning that the Democrats could have blocked the legislation, but six Democrats voted yes on the sweeping military spending bill despite President Donald Trump’s continued war against Iran, which was launched without congressional authorization.
The Democrats who voted for the bill include Reps. Henry Cuellar (TX), Donald G. Davis (NC), Jared F. Golden (ME), Vicente Gonzalez (TX), Adam Gray (CA), and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA).
The Republicans who voted against the legislation include Reps. Thomas Massie (KY), Chip Roy (TX), Anna Paulina Luna (FL), Harriet M. Hageman (WY), Elijah Crane (AZ), Tim Burchett (TN), and Josh Brecheen (OK).
The vote came after the House Rules Committee didn’t allow a vote on an amendment introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) to strip Section 219 from the NDAA. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), who supported Massie’s effort, has said he would “fight to strip this amendment in the conference between the House and the Senate,” when the two chambers negotiate the final NDAA.
The Senate’s version of the NDAA also includes a provision to integrate the two militaries, but the legislation was blocked by Senate Democrats last week over President Trump’s war with Iran, which hasn’t been authorized by Congress and has continued despite both chambers passing a concurrent War Powers Resolution directing the president to end the conflict.
This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.
