Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has faced backlash after spreading misinformation about the House of Representatives' recently passed defense bill.
On Wednesday, the House passed its version of the FY2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in a 219-206 vote, allocating more than $1.1 trillion in funding for the U.S. military. The bill now heads to the Senate, where its path forward remains unclear.
The legislation left Section 219 intact, a provision that aims to strengthen U.S.-Israel defense integration on key issues. However, in a tweet the day before the vote, AOC claimed that Section 219 would combine the U.S. and Israel military, posing an "existential threat to American sovereignty and democracy."
This assertion has been widely disputed, with critics arguing that the provision does not merge the two militaries or place the U.S. under the IDF's command. Instead, Section 219 creates the U.S.-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative, which aims to accelerate joint research and development, identify Israeli-origin technology for integration into U.S. systems, and support co-production and data fusion.
Americans have pounced on AOC's lie, with many calling out the Representative for her inaccuracy and criticizing her for failing to read the bill despite it being a fundamental part of her job.
Critics have also pointed out that AOC has a history of making anti-Semitic remarks and has previously expressed her dislike for Israel. Her tweet has been met with widespread condemnation, with many calling for her to stop spreading misinformation.
