S. 2497: United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2018

115th Congress · introduced 2018-03-05 · International Affairs · Latest: Message on House action received in Senate and at desk: House amendment to Senate bill.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2018-03-05 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Message on House action received in Senate and at desk: House amendment to Senate bill. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2018

Plain summary

United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2018 This bill extends security assistance to Israel. Specifically, it extends: foreign military financing assistance to Israel through FY2028, loan guarantees through FY2023, and authority for the war reserves stockpile through FY2023. The President may: enter into a cooperative agreement with Israel for research and joint production of anti-drone defense articles; conduct a joint assessment with Israel regarding which precision guided munitions Israel needs in a sustained armed confrontation with Hezbollah, Hamas, or other groups; and transfer precision guided munitions and defense articles to such stockpile. The bill directs the Department of Defense to provide for the rapid acquisition and deployment of precision guided munitions for U.S. counterterrorism missions or to assist an ally under missile threat from a terrorist organization or a country that supports international terrorism. The President shall report to Congress describing the steps taken to include Israel in the list of countries eligible for the strategic trade authorization exception. Such exception allows a controlled item to be exported without a transaction-specific license. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration shall continue to work with the Israel Space Agency to pursue peaceful space exploration and science initiatives. The bill also requires the periodic reports on Israel's qualitative military edge to include information about Israel's ability to defend itself from regional state and non-state actors and from drone, cyber, and asymmetric threats.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2018

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text

No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.

Limited to a few requests an hour per person.

The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Arguments against (opponents)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Alternatives

Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL] · 72 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: S. 2497, United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2018 (2018-07-23)

Cosponsors on this site

Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Hoeven (R-ND), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), John Kennedy (R-LA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Roger F. Wicker (R-MS), Tim Scott (R-SC), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Todd Young (R-IN), Susan M. Collins (R-ME), Tina Smith (D-MN), John Cornyn (R-TX), James E. Risch (R-ID), Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Angus S. King, Jr. (I-ME), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark R. Warner (D-VA), John Boozman (R-AR), Michael F. Bennet (D-CO), Christopher Murphy (D-CT), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Gary C. Peters (D-MI), Cory A. Booker (D-NJ), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Joni Ernst (R-IA) and 12 more.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (4)

Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Ballot initiative: A proposed law or constitutional amendment that citizens place on the ballot by gathering enough voter signatures, so voters decide it directly. About half the states allow some form of it.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115s2497.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/s>

Record fed-us-cong115-s2497 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115