Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) claimed this week that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and the White House want to see a provision on U.S.-Israel defense technology cooperation stripped out of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act.

Neither the Pentagon nor the White House responded to requests for comment from Jewish Insider on whether such claims were accurate.

The provision, which critics falsely assert would merge the U.S. and Israeli militaries or otherwise compromise U.S. sovereignty and control of the U.S. military, has become the subject of significant opposition from both the far left and far right. But House Republicans did not allow an amendment, spearheaded by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), to remove the provision to come to a House vote.

The narrative against the provision was first launched in an article in the magazine Responsible Statecraft, published by the isolationist Quincy Institute.

“Today, I was in a critical national security meeting with Secretary Hegseth where I helped secure his commitment that Section 219 would be stripped from the NDAA in conference. Protecting America’s intellectual property for future generations is non-negotiable,” Boebert said on X on Wednesday.

The provision includes language to protect American intellectual property and sensitive secrets and technology, and focuses on technologies jointly developed by both countries — in part with the goal of allowing the U.S. to benefit from Israeli defense technology breakthroughs.

“My concerns about Section 219 and authorizing bureaucrats to give away America’s secrets are well known, so these talks and getting a commitment to get that stripped out were important,” Boebert continued. “This isn’t the final stop and I’ll have at least one more vote on this bill after it comes out of conference. Congress still has more work to do to shape this legislation and I will continue to be a strong voice in those conversations.”

In an interview with TMZ, Boebert claimed that the White House also wanted the provision removed, and that she’d been waiting on a call from Hegseth on the subject prior to voting on the NDAA. She ultimately did not vote on the bill.

Boebert further suggested, falsely, that the U.S. gave away money and technology to Israel to develop the Iron Dome missile-defense system without receiving any benefit. The countries developed the system together, and the U.S. possesses Iron Dome batteries but has chosen not to deploy them in combat zones.