Trump Says US Will Stop $4 Billion in Annual Aid to Israel After 2026
President Donald Trump says the United States will stop sending Israel roughly $4 billion a year in funding after the end of 2026, claiming he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to the change months ago.
Trump made the announcement Tuesday in an interview on Fox News' "Fox & Friends," as Americans headed to the polls for the midterm elections.
What Trump Said
"We've already agreed that by the end of this year we won't be paying Israel," Trump said, adding that the two leaders "made a deal months ago that we're stopping," according to Reuters.
Trump said Israel no longer needs the money but stressed that the U.S. would still stand by its ally. "Now we'll help Israel if they need it," he said.
"They're fine with it. They don't need us," Trump also said, calling Israel "a great ally," according to Ynet News. He said Netanyahu "came to me" and that the two had discussed the matter "for several years."
Trump also framed the decision in political terms. He said some Democrats and left-wing politicians have used U.S. funding for Israel as a talking point against Republicans, calling it "a bad talking point." He specifically named Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan who opposes unconditional military aid to Israel.
Questions About How It Would Work
It was not immediately clear which funding Trump was referring to or how the cutoff would work, Reuters reported. Neither the White House nor Netanyahu's office responded to requests for comment.
U.S. military aid to Israel is currently governed by a memorandum of understanding signed in 2016, which commits $38 billion over 10 years, or $3.8 billion a year, through 2028. Talks on a successor agreement have been underway. Separately, after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, the Biden administration approved a one-time package of about $14 billion, according to Ynet News.
Congress also plays a role. Lawmakers authorized the Israel funding in a 2020 law, and the House and Senate must still pass spending bills each year to distribute the money.
Netanyahu Has Hinted at Change
Netanyahu has signaled in recent months that the aid relationship is shifting. In January, he told The Economist he would not seek a full renewal of the annual package. "I want to reduce military aid over the next 10 years," he said, describing a more gradual transition than the one Trump outlined.
In an October interview with Israeli television, Netanyahu warned Israelis to "prepare yourselves and get used to the fact that it won't happen because America has changed," Reuters reported.
Shifting Views on Both Sides
Support for Israel has become a hot-button issue in the U.S. A June Quinnipiac University poll found that 48% of voters and 66% of Democrats say the U.S. is too supportive of Israel, up sharply from 16% and 20% in 2017.
On the left, critics have raised concerns about civilian harm during the war in Gaza, and candidates critical of Israel have been winning Democratic primaries, including in Michigan, where progressive challengers toppled two incumbents this summer.
On the right, some members of Trump's "America First" movement have questioned funding other countries' security. Some have also accused Israel of misleading Trump about how easily Iran could be defeated in a war that has proved costly for the U.S., with a Pentagon report revealing damage to American bases and aircraft.
Supporters of the aid, meanwhile, have long argued that it strengthens a key U.S. ally in a volatile region, and much of the money is spent on American-made defense equipment.
Whether Trump's announcement leads to a formal change in policy, and how Congress responds, remains to be seen.
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