by Madeleine Cereghino, Director of Government Relations- APN

Every year as Congress reviews and approves the United States' annual spending bills, we have a valuable opportunity to advocate for change. Each year, Congress passes spending bills funding the United States government for the upcoming fiscal year, specifying the budgets of each department, and outlining the allocation of funds within those departments. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) specifically focuses on authorizing defense-related expenditures, including funding for the military, defense programs, and national security initiatives. However, it is important to note that the NDAA often includes provisions that go beyond defense matters and is used by both parties as a vehicle to raise other policy issues.

We at Americans for Peace Now have long called for increased oversight to ensure that our funds aren’t used in ways that run counter to our values and to US policy. This commonsense concept is reflected in some of this year’s NDAA submissions.

This year, several of the over 1500 amendments proposed in the NDAA address the issue of US assistance contributing to human rights violations and offer language that would add additional scrutiny to the use of US funds as it relates to the Israeli occupation. These amendments encompass a range of provisions aimed at promoting accountability and safeguarding human rights. They include mandating an annual report to Congress on Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank, reaffirming Congressional support for a two-state solution, requiring vetting for gross human rights violations by program recipients, and directing reporting on journalist killings including Shireen Abu Akleh’s.

These proposed amendments, while facing potential challenges, present an opportunity to advocate for accountability and shape future legislative efforts that align US assistance with human rights principles and contribute to a brighter future for Israelis and Palestinians alike.

Unfortunately, the amendment process for the NDAA, while always complicated, has become even more challenging this year as the House Freedom Caucus attempts to create a hyper-partisan messaging bill. Given the challenging political climate, it is unlikely that these progressive foreign policy amendments will even receive a vote in the House. Yet they still serve as an important representation of individual Members’ priorities and can be used to shape future legislative initiatives. Notably, bills like the Justice for Shireen Act have gotten their start as failed amendments to the NDAA. Advocates must not let the amendment process itself distract them from using this opportunity to advocate for accountability and human rights by building on the amendments.