Trump Says U.S. Will End Annual Military Aid to Israel; Details Remain Unclear
President Donald Trump said November 3 that the United States would end roughly $4 billion in annual assistance to Israel after the close of 2026, describing a decision he said he had reached with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu months earlier.
Speaking by telephone on Fox & Friends on the morning of the U.S. midterm elections, Trump said Israel no longer needed the annual funding. He also said Washington could help Israel if assistance became necessary and that Israel could continue purchasing American weapons.
Trump attributed the proposal to Netanyahu. The Israeli prime minister’s office had not immediately commented when Reuters published its account. The announcement represented Trump’s description of an agreement, with the precise terms and implementation still unconfirmed.
The remarks raised questions about an existing ten-year U.S.–Israel security-assistance memorandum signed in September 2016. That framework covers fiscal years 2019 through 2028 and pledges $38 billion over the period, equivalent to $3.8 billion annually.
The framework includes $33 billion in Foreign Military Financing grants and $5 billion for missile-defense cooperation. Congressional Research Service reporting explains that the promised assistance is subject to congressional appropriations. Trump’s interview did not explain how a cutoff after 2026 would interact with that funding framework.
Reuters reported that discussions had been underway about the future of assistance beyond the memorandum’s expiration. Netanyahu had previously discussed a longer transition away from reliance on American military aid, rather than an immediate end to the relationship.
In a May interview with CBS, Netanyahu said he hoped to move Israel away from U.S. military support within a decade, Reuters reported. A June letter to an American congressman similarly described a shift from receiving assistance toward partnership.
Trump also connected the announcement to domestic political criticism of aid to Israel. He argued that ending the annual payment would remove a talking point used by some Democratic and left-wing politicians, while maintaining that Israel remained a strong American ally.
The distinction between ending grants and ending weapons sales is central to the proposal. Trump said sales could continue. Further details from the two governments, including the funding streams affected and any steps involving Congress, would be needed to establish how his proposed change would take effect.
References
Reuters / GMA News — November 3, 2026.
gmanetwork/news/topstories/world/1008183/trump-says-us-will-stop-4-billion-military-aid-to-israel-at-end-of-2026/story
Fox News — November 3, 2026.
foxnews/politics/trump-says-israel-stop-receiving-4b-us-aid-years-end-can-still-buy-weapons
White House archive — September 14, 2016.
obamawhitehouse.archives/the-press-office/2016/09/14/fact-sheet-memorandum-understanding-reached-israel
Congressional Research Service — U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel: Overview and Developments since October 7, 2023, RL33222. Background accessed November 3, 2026.
congress/crs_external_products/RL/PDF/RL33222/RL33222.51.pdf
