Trump Says U.S. Will End Annual Military Aid to Israel by Year-End

President Donald Trump said on November 3, 2026, that the United States will stop providing roughly $4 billion in annual funding to Israel by the end of the year under an agreement he reached with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump made the statement in a telephone interview with Fox News on the day of the U.S. midterm elections.

He described the arrangement as a deal made months earlier. "We've already agreed that by the end of this year we won't be paying Israel," Trump said. He added that the United States would still help Israel if needed and that Israel no longer required the annual assistance because it had become a successful country. Trump framed the decision partly as a response to Democratic criticism during the midterm campaign. He specifically referenced Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who had campaigned against continued military aid to Israel.

The current 10-year memorandum of understanding, signed in 2016 under the Obama administration, provides Israel approximately $3.8 billion a year, primarily through Foreign Military Financing used to purchase U.S.-made defense equipment. That agreement runs through fiscal year 2028. Trump did not detail which specific funds would end or the precise mechanism for stopping them. Analysts noted that the memorandum is not legally binding in the same way as statute, though Congress has codified annual financing levels in past defense authorization bills.

Israeli officials had not issued a formal public response as of early November 4. Some reports indicated that security and financial officials in Israel were caught off guard by the timing of the announcement. Trump said Netanyahu had raised the idea. He described the aid as a "bad talking point" that left-wing candidates used against Republicans.

The announcement comes after years of debate in U.S. politics over the scale and conditions of military assistance to Israel, intensified by the Gaza conflict and, more recently, by the Iran war. Public opinion polls have shown declining overall American support for Israel amid those conflicts. El-Sayed's victory in Michigan as the first Muslim U.S. senator highlighted the salience of the issue among some Democratic voters.

Under the existing terms, Israel is required to spend the large majority of its Foreign Military Financing on U.S. products. Any early termination would affect U.S. defense contractors that supply systems to the Israeli military, including missile defense components. Trump emphasized that arms sales could continue and that the United States would respond to specific Israeli needs.

The practical effect remains uncertain. Ending appropriated funds before the memorandum expires would require either executive action that withholds already authorized money or new legislation. Democratic control of Congress after the midterms could complicate or accelerate different aspects of the process. Some analysts suggested the statement served an immediate electoral purpose even if full implementation takes longer.

The shift, if carried out, would alter a relationship that has included consistent U.S. military financing since the 1970s, with the current multi-year package representing the largest such commitment. Netanyahu has previously defended the aid as mutual benefit rather than one-way assistance. The announcement places the future of that framework in question at the same time that both countries face ongoing regional security challenges.

Further details on implementation and any Israeli response are expected in the coming days as the new U.S. congressional majority takes shape.