Congressional representatives Grace Meng (D-NY) and Peter Roskam (R-IL) authored this week a letter fo the Chair and Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense urging the "immediate acquisition" of the Iron Dome missile system. 

 

“Israel is our most important ally in the Middle East, and ensuring its safety and security has been one of my top priorities since I cam to Congress,” Meng said in the letter. 

 

The letter requests $500 million for American-Israeli defense cooperation, including $70 million allocated specifically for the Iron Dome missile defense system. The amount is the same that has been allocated in the President’s Fiscal Year 2019 Missile Defense Administration budget. In the same budget, Israel has been allocated a total sum of $3.3 billion. 

 

Roskam, who is co-chair of the House Republican Israel Caucus, added that “US-Israel missile defense cooperation is a critical investment in the safety and security of Israel and stability in the Middle East.” 

 

Meng and Roskam also requested nearly $200 million for continued development of David’s Sling, the joint American-Israeli missile interceptor military system. 

 

The two wrote that they “envision the possibility of utilizing US-Israeli missile defense systems beyond the Middle East.”

 

“US-Israel cooperative missile defense programs are a win-win for the United States, as they save lives, prevent conflict escalation and advance US objectives by promoting regional stability and protecting a valuable ally.”  

 

The bipartisan letter included several dozen signatories.