Trump Says U.S. Will End $4 Billion Annual Aid to Israel by Year End

President Donald Trump said on November 3, 2026, that the United States will stop providing approximately $4 billion in annual funding to Israel by the end of the year. He described the decision as the result of an agreement reached months earlier with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump made the remarks in a telephone interview with Fox & Friends on the morning of the U.S. midterm elections. He said Israel no longer requires the assistance and that continued payments had become a political liability for Republicans. "We've already agreed that by the end of this year we won't be paying Israel," Trump stated. "Now we'll help Israel if they need it."

The precise scope of the funding remains unclear. A longstanding memorandum of understanding provides Israel with about $3.8 billion annually in military aid and is scheduled to run through 2028. Separate security assistance and other transfers exist outside that framework. Trump referred to $4 billion in total and said the arrangement had been discussed with Netanyahu. Israeli officials had not issued a formal response as of early November 4.

Trump linked the move to domestic criticism from progressive Democrats. He specifically mentioned Abdul El-Sayed, the Michigan Senate candidate who had called for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel. El-Sayed went on to win that race. Trump argued that the funding gave opponents a talking point even though Israel, in his view, could manage without it.

Netanyahu has previously indicated a desire to reduce reliance on U.S. assistance. In a May 2026 interview with CBS, he said he wanted to phase out the annual support to zero over the next decade. The announcement on November 3 accelerates that timeline under the terms Trump described.

The decision comes amid ongoing regional tensions, including limited U.S. strikes on Iranian targets and continued conflict involving Israel. U.S. military aid has long underpinned Israel's qualitative military edge in the region, funding missile defense systems such as Iron Dome and advanced aircraft. Ending the regular payments would require Israel to cover those costs through its own budget or alternative arrangements.

Congress holds the power of the purse. Even if the executive branch seeks to halt transfers, appropriations already enacted or future bills could restore or modify the assistance. With Democrats now projected to control both the House and Senate after the midterms, any legislative adjustment would face a different majority than the one that approved previous packages.

Trump said the United States would still provide help in emergencies. He characterized the relationship as continuing, with Israel remaining an ally. The timing of the announcement, on the day Americans voted in contests that heavily featured foreign policy and economic concerns, drew immediate attention from both parties.

Details on implementation, including which accounts are affected and whether previously appropriated funds can be redirected, have not been released by the White House or the Israeli government. The existing memorandum of understanding remains in force until 2028 unless both sides amend or terminate it earlier.

The shift, if carried out as described, would represent the largest single change in U.S.-Israel security assistance in decades. Its practical effects will depend on how quickly the payments cease, how Israel adjusts its defense spending, and whether Congress acts to reverse or condition the change in the new legislative session.