Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claims NDAA would merge US military with IDF

Key Points:

• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claimed the House-passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would "merge parts of our military with the Israel Defense Forces," sparking criticism for allegedly misrepresenting the legislation.
• Section 219 of the NDAA calls for deeper U.S.-Israel defense integration through expanded cooperation on military technology, supply chains, research, AI, cybersecurity, and joint exercises, but does not merge the two militaries.
• Republican lawmakers and officials, including EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and Rep. Mike Lawler, condemned Ocasio-Cortez's statement as false and accused her of stoking anti-Semitic sentiments.
• Some lawmakers, like Rep. Thomas Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna, opposed Section 219 on grounds of its scope and criticized House leadership for blocking a vote to remove the provision, signaling ongoing debate over U.S.-Israel military cooperation.
• The House passed the NDAA with Section 219 intact in a 219-206 vote, despite opposition and controversy surrounding the provision.