President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States would end about $4 billion in aid to Israel by the end of the year, arguing that the country no longer needs the funding.
Trump said the aid had become a political point of contention, adding that he did not want the United States to face criticism from Democrats, including Michigan politician Abdul El-Sayed, over its support for Israel. “We give them more than anybody else,” he said.
Israel has received more U.S. foreign aid than any other country since World War II. A 2025 Congressional Research Service report put the total at about $174 billion, not adjusted for inflation, including aid and military assistance.
The two countries do not have a mutual defense treaty. But in 2016, the Obama administration agreed to provide Israel with $3.8 billion a year in security assistance over a 10-year period. The United States also approved additional funding after the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023.
In April 2024, Congress approved an emergency package that included $3.5 billion in foreign military financing for Israel, $1.2 billion for its Iron Beam laser defense system, and $4 billion for missile defense systems including Iron Dome and David’s Sling.
Speaking on “Fox & Friends,” Trump said the United States was providing Israel with $4 billion, but that the funding would stop at the end of the year. “Why? Because they don’t need it,” he said.
Trump also questioned why the United States should face criticism from people such as El-Sayed when, in his view, Israel could do without the money.
Public opinion polling has found growing concern among Democrats about U.S. support for Israel. A July poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 58% of Democrats and 51% of Jewish Democrats thought the United States was too supportive of Israel. About two in 10 Republicans agreed.
A separate Pew Research Center survey that month found that views of Israelis and Israel’s government had become more negative in recent years. Forty-two percent of U.S. adults said they viewed Israelis negatively, while 62% said the same of the Israeli government.
El-Sayed and other Democratic candidates have made U.S. policy toward Israel an issue on the campaign trail. Trump called the argument a poor talking point, saying people could ask why the United States did not give $4 billion to everyone. He described Israel as a close ally and a thriving country that no longer needed the assistance.
Trump said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had suggested ending the funding and that the two leaders had agreed on the change months ago.
It was not clear whether Trump meant the annual $3.8 billion commitment under the 2016 agreement, which is set to expire in fiscal year 2028, or another funding amount. He described the $4 billion as military aid or cash. Trump added that Israel would still be able to buy weapons from the United States.
