President Trump said Tuesday that the roughly $4 billion in annual U.S. aid to Israel will be cut off at the end of this year under an understanding with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In an interview on “Fox & Friends,” Mr. Trump said he and Mr. Netanyahu “made a deal months ago that we’re stopping” the annual U.S. aid.
The president framed the move partly as a way to remove a talking point from Democratic candidates, such as Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed.
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Mr. Trump said Israel “doesn’t need it. … I asked them. They don’t need it. And because why should we suffer the slings from lunatics like an El-Sayed, when they don’t need it? It’s a bad talking point.
“The Left uses the $4 billion payment that everybody knows about when it’s no secret, as a signal of unfairness. And we can’t allow that to happen. … It’s almost too easy a target,” Mr. Trump said.
He said Mr. Netanyahu brought up the issue. “He said, ‘I think it would be appropriate if we do not receive aid,’ because he understands that this is one of their points of contention,” Mr. Trump said.
The decade-long deal delivering about $4 billion annually runs until 2028.
Asked if his administration would cut off $4 billion worth of military hardware or cash, Mr. Trump said, “You can consider it barter. You could consider it military aid or cash.”
Congress has appropriated aid to Israel largely according to each memorandum of understanding, which isn’t legally binding and doesn’t need Senate ratification to change yearly levels or add supplemental funding.
In June, the U.S. and Israel announced formal talks on a successor to the memorandum of understanding, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said the new deal “ends aid” and will be based on trade.
Israel has been the largest cumulative receiver of U.S. foreign assistance since 1948. This stemmed from American support for the creation of a Jewish state following World War II, shared strategic goals in the Middle East and strong domestic U.S. support.
The U.S. has provided the country about $174 billion in assistance and missile defense funding.
Aid has also been connected to Israel’s “qualitative military edge,” which Congress codified in 2008, mandating that any weapons sale to another Middle East country be assessed for its impact on Israel.
Following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, Congress passed a supplemental in April 2024 with $3.5 billion in foreign military financing and $5.2 billion for missile defense and the Iron Beam laser system. Aid obligations for that fiscal year totaled $12.5 billion.
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