The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on the conference committee reconciling the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to strip the House’s expanded “Israel first” military provisions that use U.S. taxpayer dollars to fund genocide.
At the same time, CAIR welcomes the NDAA’s repeal of broad U.S. sanctions on Syria. The NDAA includes a full repeal of longstanding U.S. sanctions on Syria, also known as the Ceasars Act, punitive measures that severely restricted humanitarian access, harmed civilians, and contributed to economic collapse.
SEE: US Congress advances bill to nix Caesar Act sanctions on Syria
In a statement, CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw said:
“Americans are struggling with the cost of housing, medical care, food, education, and basic public services. Yet Congress continues to place an ‘Israel first’ agenda above the needs of its own citizens.
“U.S. taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize weapons systems actively contributing to genocide in Gaza while schools, hospitals, and communities here at home remain underfunded. CAIR urges conferees to remove these provisions and calls on senators to vote against any final NDAA that includes them.”
NDAA’s “Israel First” Spending Misuses Taxpayer Dollars and Funds Genocide
While CAIR supports humanitarian relief for Syria, the organization remains gravely concerned about the House’s massive expansion of pro-Israel military provisions and the misuse of American taxpayer dollars to fund weapons systems implicated in catastrophic civilian harm in Gaza.
The U.S. Senate passed its version of the NDAA in October with a 77–20 vote. The House passed its version Yesterday with a vote of 312-112. Both chambers will now negotiate a single final text in the conference committee. The Senate will vote again on that final, unified bill once negotiations conclude, likely before Christmas.
CAIR is urging House and Senate negotiators to remove harmful provisions during conference and calling on senators to oppose the final NDAA if these measures remain. These provisions include:
- Over $500 million for U.S.–Israel missile defense cooperation, including Iron Dome, Arrow, and David’s Sling.
- Adds $80 million in authorized funding to Israel for the Anti-Tunneling program(develops technology to detect, map, destroy, and maneuver through tunnels)
- Establishes $35 million in funding to Israel for emerging military technologies, including AI, quantum, cybersecurity, robotics, and automation.
- Adds $70 million in authorized funding to Israelfor countering unmanned systems of all variants, including emerging threats from aerial one-way attack drones and ground and maritime attack systems. (a $15 million increase from FY25) and expands the program to unmanned systems across all warfighting domains.
- A new U.S.–Israel Defense Industrial Base Working Group to expand joint manufacturing and potentially integrate Israel into the U.S. National Technology and Industrial Base
- Directives pressuring the Department of Defense to avoid defense exhibitions that do not fully accommodate Israeli companies
- Intelligence and State Department mandates to monitor any global arms embargoes that may affect Israel
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com