WASHINGTON, July 14 — The American Israel Public Affairs Committee lobbied the U.S. Department of Defense on legislation that would mandate integration of Israeli defense technology into American military programs, according to a disclosure filing posted to the Senate lobbying database.
The filing, covering April through June, lists the Defense Department alongside the House and Senate as entities lobbied on the fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act and the United States-Israel FUTURES Act. It reports $810,990 in lobbying income for the quarter. AIPAC's first-quarter filing reported $844,410 on the same bills, putting the group's disclosed lobbying income above $1.65 million for the first half of 2026. FDD Action reported $270,000 in first-quarter lobbying expenses on issues including the FUTURES Act.
The FUTURES Act was introduced in both chambers on Feb. 12, 2026 and did not advance as a standalone bill; its central provision reappeared in the House Armed Services Committee chairman's mark of the defense bill and in the Senate Armed Services Committee's bill. The Senate committee approved its bill 18-9 in closed session; FUTURES Act co-sponsor Senator Kirsten Gillibrand voted no. An amendment requiring congressional authorization for military operations against Iran failed 13-14 in closed markup. A House amendment to strike the provision received no recorded vote.
VoteLog has filed Freedom of Information Act requests with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon's intelligence and security office, the Office of Management and Budget, the State Department and the Defense Security Cooperation Agency seeking records on the drafting of the provisions. The article embeds the five primary-source documents: AIPAC's Q1 and Q2 2026 LD-2 lobbying disclosures, FDD Action's Q1 2026 LD-2 disclosure, Senate Report 119-127, and House Report 119-698.
Reporting by Wally Rashid. Browse tracked bills · Browse members · Methodology
Published July 14, 2026 · Updated July 24, 2026
AIPAC disclosed lobbying Pentagon on U.S.-Israel technology provisions in defense bill, filings show
The Pentagon, headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense. DoD photo by Master Sgt. Ken Hammond, U.S. Air Force (public domain).
The nine lobbyists named in the filing pushed action on dozens of pieces of legislation touching both Iran and Israel — from a slate of Iran sanctions bills, including the
One entry stands apart from the rest of the list: H.R. 425, the Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act. The bill has no apparent connection to Israel — it would repeal the Corporate Transparency Act, the anti-money-laundering law that requires companies to disclose their true owners to the Treasury Department, and would order the government to delete the ownership data it has already collected. The group has not publicly explained its interest in the bill.
AIPAC's first-quarter filing, posted in April, reported $844,410 and listed the same bills, with contacts including the National Security Council, the State Department and four other agencies. The two filings put the group's disclosed lobbying income above $1.65 million for the first half of 2026.
Its central provision reappeared in May in the House Armed Services Committee chairman's mark of the defense bill as Section 224, later renumbered 219, and in the Senate Armed Services Committee's bill as Section 1217. The Senate committee's report titles the section the "United States-Israel Framework for Upgraded Technologies, Unified Research, and Enhanced Security (FUTURES) Act of 2026."
The provision directs the secretary of defense, "in consultation with the Minister of Defense of Israel," to establish a defense technology cooperation initiative covering research, development, testing and industrial cooperation, according to the report. Areas listed in the bill include artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, cyber capabilities, missile defense and biotechnology.
The Senate bill contains additional Israel-related provisions, including modifications to existing joint programs, a $30 million increase for counter-drone cooperation and a provision on expediting the refueling of Israeli aircraft, the report shows.
The legislation follows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement to The Economist in January that Israel intends to reduce reliance on U.S. military assistance. The current U.S.-Israel memorandum of understanding, which provides about $3.8 billion annually in military assistance, expires in 2028.
FDD Action, the advocacy arm of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, reported $270,000 in first-quarter lobbying expenses on issues including the FUTURES Act, "all provisions," and listed the White House Office among entities contacted, according to its filing. Second-quarter filings are due July 20.
Lobbying disclosure forms identify bills and agencies contacted but do not disclose meetings, dates or positions taken.
The Senate Armed Services Committee approved its version of the defense bill 18-9 on June 10 in closed session. The committee did not announce the vote breakdown.
Gillibrand co-sponsored the FUTURES Act, whose language is contained in the bill she voted against reporting. The report does not state senators' reasons.
The tabulation records no roll-call vote on an amendment targeting Section 1217. Voice votes are not disclosed in committee reports.
A separate provision redesignating the Department of Defense as the Department of War was adopted 14-13, the report shows.
Kaine, in additional views published at page 610 of the report, wrote that he had voted for the defense bill every year in his more than 13 years on the committee and was opposing it for the first time. He cited a budget increase "at the very moment when Congress shows a determined unwillingness to exercise any meaningful check on how the President uses the nation's military might."
With no roll-call vote on the provision in either committee, no member of Congress has an individually recorded position on the initiative in the public record.
The tabulation also shows the House version of the Department of War redesignation was offered by Jackson, the FUTURES Act's lead House sponsor, and adopted 29-27.
The New York Times reported on June 6 that Defense Department assessments describe a growing espionage threat from Israel. The Intercept reported on June 8 that neither the Pentagon nor the House Armed Services Committee responded to its questions about whether Defense Department officials participated in developing the House provision.
VoteLog has filed Freedom of Information Act requests with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon's intelligence and security office, the Office of Management and Budget, the State Department and the Defense Security Cooperation Agency seeking records on the drafting of the provisions, communications with the named lobbyists and related counterintelligence assessments.
The House version of the bill stalled on June 30 when the rule governing floor debate failed 198-224. An amendment to strike the Israel technology provision was not made in order for a floor vote.