Congress: 119 · Status: active · Israel/Palestine classification: pro-Israel
Data (JSON) — machine-readable record of this bill (identifiers, sponsor, classification, actions, and the member-by-member vote breakdown).
Official record on Congress.gov — full text, actions, and cosponsor history for S 4219.
Sponsor: Budd, Ted (R-North Carolina)
The Defense Secretary must establish a defense cooperation initiative with countries that have signed the Abraham Accords (Israel normalization agreements) and other Arab or Muslim-majority countries seeking ties with Israel. The initiative coordinates military training, joint exercises, and technology sharing on air defense, missile systems, intelligence, and counter-drone capabilities, with stated focus on deterring Iran. The Secretary must submit a funding strategy within 60 days and Congress encourages participating countries to contribute matching funds.
This institutionalizes U.S. military integration with Israel and Arab states aligned with it, potentially deepening regional military coordination against Iran while expanding the diplomatic and defense footprint of Abraham Accords countries. It represents a congressional push to lock in military partnerships that some view as expanding Israeli regional influence, though it does not directly appropriate funds in the bill itself.