Trump’s Aid Bombshell Leaves Israel Scrambling: US to End $4 Billion Military Support by Year-End

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President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will stop providing Israel with about $4 billion in annual military aid at the end of 2026, a declaration that reportedly caught Israeli defense and finance officials off guard. Trump said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed “months ago” to end the assistance, though Israeli officials said they had received no formal notification of an immediate cutoff.
Trump’s announcementSpeaking in a phone interview with Fox News on US Election Day, Trump said, “We give Israel $4 billion a year, and we made a deal months ago that we’re stopping.” He added that the money would be “cut off at the end of the year,” while saying the US would continue selling weapons to Israel.Trump framed the move as a sign that Israel no longer needed direct American financial support. “They don’t need it,” he said, according to CNN.
Israeli officials blindsidedOfficials in Israel’s Finance Ministry, Defense Ministry and military were reportedly surprised by both the timing and the immediacy of the announcement. One Finance Ministry official told Walla that no formal document had been submitted by the Prime Minister’s Office and that the ministry knew of an intention to end aid—but not “immediately.”A senior financial official warned that ending two years of assistance would amount to roughly $8 billion, asking, “Where will we get this? It’s clear — from citizens’ taxes.”
What is at stakeThe current US-Israel memorandum of understanding provides $3.8 billion in annual military aid and does not expire until September 2028. That makes Trump’s proposed immediate halt legally and practically uncertain, since Congress must approve annual funding and an abrupt shift would be difficult to implement.Trump said Israel could still “buy whatever they want” from the United States, suggesting a transition from grant aid to direct arms purchases.
Political falloutNetanyahu’s office did not immediately comment. Opposition leader Yair Golan accused the prime minister of diplomatic failure, warning that ending US assistance would damage Israel’s security and shift the full cost of defense onto Israeli taxpayers.Trump’s announcement came on Election Day, when US support for Israel has become an increasingly contentious political issue. Analysts noted that it could set up a confrontation with Congress over whether the aid can actually be ended before the existing agreement expires.