Previously Published in The Messenger
The Republican Party in Washington has prided itself on intense debate and ensuring that the filibuster remains intact.
The filibuster is a rule in the Senate that effectively allows limitless debate by requiring a 60-member vote to invoke cloture — ceasing debate and picking up the item in question for a vote. While classically intended to derail runaway legislation or pitch substantial changes, it’s often used as a stalling tactic and political maneuver.
We don’t disagree with that use of the filibuster. If the rule is there, expect it to be used in creative ways. Nuking the filibuster has been a stated position of the GOP for years, especially in the recent tit-for-tat era of national politics that began during the Obama years. While the Democrats typically don’t hold the filibuster as sacrosanct, the Republicans do…
…up until they don’t. Supreme Court nominations in Trump’s first term and budget scoring metrics for the One Big Beautiful Bill come to mind as notable instances in which the GOP reneged on their core parliamentary convictions in favor of jamming through an agenda to feign productivity. Allow us to make ourselves clear, both parties in Washington regularly feign productivity.
But now comes a time when the filibuster must remain more than it perhaps ever has. Section 219 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is a highly controversial aspect of Congress’ annual defense omnibus package. This year’s model clocks in at over $1 trillion – at a time when our deficit is approaching $40 trillion and starter homes and children are increasingly considered luxury goods.
Section 219, if passed with the rest of the NDAA, would greatly increase U.S. military and intelligence with Israel. There are times when military and intelligence cooperation are heightened during specific times of conflict with sunset provisions, but this is not one of those.
This also comes at a time when Israel’s public perception across the globe is so historically low that they’re pumping out nearly $1 billion to export positive media coverage as their reputation deteriorates over what many classify as a genocide in Gaza, and as Israel continues to settle the West Bank and southern Lebanon. To those who hold that view, this is no longer about Israeli self-defense – a no-brainer for any country, in our opinion – but a land grab.
Section 219 also comes at a time when the Pentagon has been on high alert for Israeli espionage – which is hardly a rarity going back through the annals of history – due to U.S.-Iran negotiations having routinely been sidestepped by Israel to keep the war going. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said at a conference last week that the current U.S. engagement works in their favor and they see no reason to join that front of the war themselves.
The Middle East Monitor reported that in a letter to Congressman Marlin Stutzman (R-IN), Netanyahu described the merger as “my plan.”
In short, we don’t think any country, regardless of their relationship with the U.S., should be entitled to such an ambitious merger that mandates intel sharing with said country with virtually no oversight or end.
The House version passed narrowly. We’re sad to report that Suffolk’s two Congressmen, Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) and Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport), voted in favor of the bill. We intend to press them for their reasoning because, at face value, we can’t see any reason.
The Senate GOP must remain consistent in their preservation of the filibuster. The legislation is currently stalled there but the initial vote shows there is enough of a quorum to pass it with a simple majority.
True American autonomy is on the line here. We hope the Senate GOP chooses now, of all moments, to exercise their stated affinity for the procedure.
On a final and completely unrelated note, where the hell is Mitch McConnell (R-KY)?