December 20, 2023
US Defense Bill Shows Bipartisan Israel Support
For the 63rd consecutive year, Congress has passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and sent it to the President’s desk for his signature. The Congressional committees of jurisdiction that proudly craft and dutifully shepherd this piece of legislation through its long and increasingly vestigial process of regular order, do so, steeped in a time-tested culture and belief in bipartisanship. While prevailing incentives drive most Republicans and Democrats further and further apart, the House and Senate Armed Services Committees remain vigilant stewards and increasingly rare practitioners of bipartisan compromise. In what may be one of the most partisan legislative sessions in US history, and against the backdrop of the highly-dramatic GOP House leadership crisis, the members and professional staffs of the HASC and SASC put their heads down, got to work, and once again, delivered a bipartisan product for the common defense of the American people, passing the Senate with 87 votes, and the House with 310. Their work is to be commended, and in the opinion of this author, studied and replicated by the rest of Congress. And because the NDAA’s contents are exhaustively debated by members and staff to ensure the bill achieves broad bipartisan, bicameral majorities, you can study its many provisions for insights into what politically, “the market will bear” among a majority of both Congressional Republicans and Democrats.
The FY24 NDAA demonstrates clearly that a broad majority of Congressional Republicans and Democrats continue to strongly stand with Israel.
Reviewing the totality of the Middle East-related provisions in the Fiscal Year 2024 NDAA, one thing becomes abundantly clear: irrespective of the shrill and seemingly prevalent public sentiment that Israel is increasingly isolated, the Jewish State continues to enjoy broad bipartisan support in the US Congress. Let’s review the bidding.
Read the full article from The Times of Israel.
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