US Voters Don't Want American And Israeli Militaries To Merge

Trump meets Netanyahu at White House on July 28, 2026. (Maâayan Toaf (GPO)/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images.)

The provision, known as Section 219, is in the National Defense Authorization Act, which has already passed the House.

By Prem Thakker, reposted from Zeteo, August 18, 2026

New polling shared first with Zeteo shows a majority of U.S. voters are opposed to a provision being pushed by both parties to merge the Israeli and U.S. militaries in unprecedented fashion.

The poll – from Demand Progress and IMEU Policy Project, and conducted by Data for Progress – found a majority of voters siding with those members of Congress who just voted to cut U.S. aid to Israel, in a dramatic if losing House vote last month. Voters also overwhelmingly believe Israel benefits more from the U.S.-Israel relationship.

The polling surveyed U.S. voters on whether they would support the merging effort that’s already passed the House. The provision, known as Section 219, is in the National Defense Authorization Act, which passed the House in July and is set to be voted on by the Senate in the coming weeks.

The effort to merge the U.S. and Israeli militaries has been backdropped by the likes of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham calling to wind down U.S. aid to Israel. But such calls are in fact a ploy to replace the current U.S. aid regime to Israel with a scheme that would have the U.S. backstop Israel in a much deeper fashion.

So what does the public think about it all?

The new polling shows voters are not having it. Asked about a provision to “deepen the integration of Israeli weapons companies into the Pentagon at a level higher than any other country,” 61% of respondents said they opposed such a move and only 30% were in favor.

Among Democrats, 78% were against the provision and 14% in favor, while 73% of independents were against the provision and only 18% in favor.

Asked about Congress enabling the Israeli military or Israeli weapons companies to receive increased special access to U.S. military systems, sensitive technologies, and defense supply chains, respondents were opposed by a 25-point-margin. Even among Republicans, the proposition was split: 45% in favor, 44% opposed.

“Israel is a nation committing genocide that just dragged the American people into a disastrous war that is still hitting our pocketbooks,” IMEU Policy Project executive director Margaret DeReus said in a statement, referencing Israel’s slaughter in Gaza, the U.S. war on Iran, and Israel’s ongoing campaign in Lebanon.

“It is the height of absurdity that Congress is even considering a proposal to become more entangled with the Israeli military and use our tax dollars to subsidize their weapons companies. Senators take an oath to do what is best for the American people above all; to uphold that oath, they must scrap this ridiculous proposal.”

In July, 104 members of Congress voted to cut U.S. aid to Israel. And while that was unprecedented, it lagged way behind where the public is. Respondents in the latest polling supported the vote to cut funding by a 13-point margin – including Democrats by 27 points and independents by 19.

Even among Republicans, the split was narrow: 43% supported the vote to cut funding to Israel while 48% opposed it.

Despite the overwhelming opinion among Democratic voters, 108 Democrats did not vote to cut aid. And despite the split opinion among Republican voters, only one GOP member of Congress – Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who authored the amendment – voted in favor.

More broadly, a plurality of respondents said Donald Trump is providing too much support to the Israeli government: 49% of respondents said it was too much, while just 33% said it was the right amount and 8% said it was too little. Even 25% of Republicans said Trump was supporting Israel too much.

The polling comes as Israel maintains its violence in Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, and beyond and brings the U.S. along for the ride, particularly in Iran. It also comes as Israeli soldiers and settlers have invaded American citizens’ homes and detained and brutalized American citizens. Two young American citizens are currently in Israeli detention.

In one such case, that of 20-year-old Sama Safi, more than 100 faith and rights groups are demanding that Secretary of State Marco Rubio act to free her. Israeli soldiers abducted Safi 77 days ago. In an open letter, the groups say Safi is at risk of “severe inflammatory relapse, progressive organ damage,” and “potentially life-threatening repercussions.”

In light of such startling cases, the new poll asked voters who they believe benefits more from the U.S.-Israeli relationship: 51% said they believe Israel benefits more, including 58% of Democrats and 55% of independents. Just 12% of respondents said the U.S. benefits more while 32% said both nations benefit equally.

Despite such numbers, unconditional U.S. support for Israel and its violence, even against Americans, continues. Why?

Per the poll, U.S. voters believe the Israeli government has too much influence over U.S. foreign policy by an eight-point margin. This includes Democrats at a 30-point margin, and independents at a 29-point margin.

Read the full results from the poll here.

Prem Thakker is a Zeteo Political Correspondent & Columnist

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