Trump Says US Will End Annual Funding to Israel by End of 2026

President Donald Trump said on November 3, 2026 that the United States will stop providing annual funding to Israel by the end of the year. In interviews with Fox News and others, he described a deal reached months earlier with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under which Washington would cease payments of about $4 billion annually.

Trump said Israel no longer needs the money because it has become a successful country. He added that the United States would still help if needed. He linked the decision in part to domestic political criticism, specifically mentioning figures who use the aid as a talking point against Republicans. The comments came on the morning of the US midterm elections.

The existing memorandum of understanding provides $3.8 billion in military assistance each year through 2028. Trump referred to $4 billion in his remarks. Israeli officials had not immediately confirmed the details of any new agreement when the statements appeared. In a May interview, Netanyahu had said he wanted to draw down US financial support to zero over the next decade and preferred to begin that process sooner.

Support for Israel aid has softened among some Democrats after the Gaza conflict that began in October 2023. A July vote in the House on cutting security assistance drew support from 103 Democrats alongside Republican Thomas Massie. Trump presented the planned end of routine funding as removing a point of domestic friction while preserving the alliance.

The precise mechanism for stopping the flow before the memorandum expires was not detailed in the public statements. Appropriations for the current fiscal year have already moved through Congress. Future requests would be the normal route for changes. Israeli security and finance officials were reported to have been caught off guard by the timing of the announcement.

US military aid to Israel has been governed by multi-year memoranda since the 1990s, with the current ten-year package the largest. The funds are largely spent on US-made equipment under foreign military financing rules. Israel also receives separate support in other accounts. Ending the annual package would alter the baseline of the bilateral security relationship even if case-by-case assistance continues.

Trump described the arrangement as already agreed. Netanyahu's earlier public remarks about reducing dependence align with the direction, though the speed and form differ. The midterm results the following day produced Democratic majorities in both chambers of Congress. Those majorities will influence any legislation required to adjust or replace the existing memorandum.

Both governments have historically described the relationship as strategic and multi-layered, covering intelligence, technology and regional policy beyond the aid figure. The funding change, if implemented as stated, would be the most concrete shift in the financial pillar in recent years. Confirmation from both capitals on the exact terms and timeline remains pending as of November 4.