Trump Announces End of $4 Billion in Annual US Aid to Israel by December

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday morning that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have agreed to stop paying Israel roughly $4 billion in annual American assistance by the end of 2026. He made the disclosure during a telephone interview with Fox & Friends, appearing as voters prepared to cast ballots in the midterm elections for the House and Senate. The timing places the decision directly in the political spotlight ahead of the November 3 vote.

Trump described the new arrangement as a shift from a funding package to a transactional model. Under this plan, Israel would no longer receive yearly grants but could continue purchasing American weapons. The president stated that the two leaders had settled on this path months earlier. “We won't be paying Israel anymore,” he said. He confirmed the deadline, noting that the payments would cease by the end of the current year.

The interview began with hosts asking about rising antisemitism and declining support for Israel among younger voters. They specifically mentioned Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan, who has criticized US military aid. Trump initially praised the US-Israel partnership. He then blamed immigration policies from the Barack Obama administration for the spread of antisemitism, a link he did not support with specific evidence.

When pressed on what exactly would be cut, Trump suggested he was referring to the total value of assistance. He did not distinguish between cash grants, military financing, or weapons deliveries. “I'm giving four in any way you want to define it,” he said. He added that the money would be cut off at the end of the year.

Trump insisted that Netanyahu initiated the proposal. He quoted the prime minister as saying, “I think it would be appropriate if we do not receive aid.” The president said they had discussed the issue for a couple of years because the sum represented a large amount of money. He argued that the move would remove a key argument used by Democrats against Republicans, particularly in the Michigan Senate race between El-Sayed and Mike Rogers.

The president emphasized that Israel could still purchase defense equipment. “Oh yeah, they can buy whatever they want,” he said. He cited companies such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Raytheon, noting that they were expanding production of Tomahawk missiles, Patriot systems, and THAAD interceptors at the administration's urging. He framed the change as an end to the funding package rather than a halt to defense cooperation.

The announcement creates questions about the legal framework. The current assistance rests on a 10-year memorandum of understanding signed in 2016. It covers fiscal years 2019 through 2028 with a total of $38 billion in military aid. This includes $3.3 billion annually in Foreign Military Financing and $500 million for cooperative missile-defense programs. Trump rounded this $3.8 billion figure to $4 billion. The memorandum is not a legally binding treaty, and annual funding depends on congressional appropriations. No implementation plan was provided during the interview.

In the same segment, Trump said US forces struck an Iranian air-defense facility the previous night. He described it as a limited attack on a site Iran had built over two months. “Just a minor attack. It wasn't war,” he said. He warned that Washington could expand military operations after Election Day if necessary. Netanyahu had previously told The Economist in January that he wanted to phase out US military assistance over a decade. He made a similar argument to CBS News in May, stating that Israel had matured economically and should shift toward a partnership.