Trump Says U.S. Will End Annual Military Aid to Israel After 2026

Trump said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to stop roughly $4 billion in annual U.S. assistance after this year, but implementation details remain unclear.
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, that the United States will stop providing roughly $4 billion a year in assistance to Israel after the end of 2026, describing the change as an agreement he reached with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu months ago.
Trump made the announcement during an Election Day appearance on Fox & Friends. He said the support included money and other assistance, characterized it as military aid, and argued that Israel is prosperous enough to buy its own weapons. Fox News reported the remarks from the interview, while Reuters and Al Jazeera separately reported the announcement.
What Trump announced
Trump said the current annual support would be cut off at year-end. He also left open the possibility of future U.S. help if Israel needs it, meaning his statement did not amount to a pledge to end every form of security cooperation or every future emergency package.
According to Trump, Netanyahu raised the idea and the two leaders agreed to it months earlier. The reports reviewed for this article did not include an immediate public confirmation from Netanyahu's office or a White House document explaining which appropriations, weapons orders or cooperative programs would be affected.
Existing agreement runs through 2028
The announcement is significant because the current aid framework was designed to last longer. A Congressional Research Service report says the United States and Israel signed a 10-year memorandum of understanding in 2016 covering fiscal years 2019 through 2028. It pledged $38 billion, subject to congressional appropriations: $33 billion in Foreign Military Financing grants and $5 billion for missile defense.
That framework generally works out to $3.8 billion a year, including $3.3 billion in Foreign Military Financing and $500 million for missile defense. Trump used the rounded figure of $4 billion. Fox News also described the current arrangement as approximately $3.8 billion annually through 2028.
Congress still has a role
Trump's statement establishes his administration's position, but it does not by itself answer every legal and budget question. The 2016 memorandum is expressly subject to congressional appropriations, and Congress has separately authorized at least $3.3 billion in annual Foreign Military Financing for Israel through 2028, according to CRS. Lawmakers therefore retain an important role in deciding what money is appropriated and under what terms.
It was also not immediately clear whether the administration intends to halt only the recurring annual package, phase out particular accounts, or seek changes to obligations already approved. Those distinctions will determine how quickly the policy affects weapons purchases and joint missile-defense work.
A major shift, with details still pending
If implemented as Trump described, ending the regular package after 2026 would shorten a longstanding aid schedule and mark a substantial change in the U.S.-Israel security relationship. It would not necessarily end arms sales: Trump said Israel could buy weapons with its own funds, and he reserved the option of providing help later.
For now, the announcement should be treated as a declared policy rather than proof that all annual assistance has already been legally terminated. The next evidence to watch will be a formal White House or State Department directive, Israel's response, the administration's budget request and congressional action on fiscal-year funding.
Sources and image credit
- Primary interview reporting: Fox News — Trump says Israel will stop receiving annual U.S. aid after 2026
- Reuters — Trump says U.S. will stop $4 billion in military aid to Israel at the end of 2026
- Al Jazeera — Trump announces that U.S. aid payments to Israel will stop after year-end
- Congressional Research Service — U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel
- Image — Trump and Netanyahu at the White House, Wikimedia Commons