Washington, D.C. - Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet issued the following statement on funding included in the House and Senate Defense Appropriations bills for Israel's missile defense:

"Earlier this week, we offered an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 to increase funding for Israeli missile defense programs, which received bipartisan support. The House and Senate Appropriations bills are currently in line with this initiative. Cooperative programs like Iron Dome, David's Sling, and the Arrow are critical to ensuring Israel can defend itself against increasing and evolving threats in the region. We will continue to push for robust Congressional funding to support these cooperative missile defense programs above the President's request."