President Trump says the roughly $4 billion a year the U.S. gives Israel will stop at the end of 2026 because “they don’t need it,” but Israel’s Finance Ministry was caught off guard.
Story Snapshot
- Trump said on Fox & Friends that U.S. aid to Israel, about $4 billion a year, “gets cut off at the end of the year.”
- He said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised the idea and that the two leaders agreed to it.
- Israel’s Finance Ministry was unaware of any such plan, according to reports, and Israeli officials said they were surprised.
- This is a stated plan, not a signed order; no executive order or agency directive has been released.
- The current aid pledge gives Israel $3.8 billion a year through 2028, and Congress must approve the money each year.
Trump Announces Year-End Halt to Annual Aid
On Tuesday, November 3, President Trump told Fox & Friends that U.S. aid to Israel will end when 2026 does. “We were giving them 4 billion. We are. But it gets cut off at the end of the year,” he said. His reason was simple: Israel, he said, is “a very thriving country” that no longer needs the money. “We give them more than anybody else, and they no longer need it,” Trump said. He also called the aid a “bad talking point” that Democrats use against Republicans.
Trump says he's struck a deal with Netanyahu to end US payments to Israel starting in 2027.
1. Current US aid to Israel: $4 billion per year.
2. Trump says the cutoff happens at the end of 2026.
3. Trump says Netanyahu is fine with it.
4. US oil prices erased earlier gains and…— Cornelius Lukas Vorpahl (@LukasVorpp) November 3, 2026
Israel’s government did not appear to be ready for the news. According to reports, Israel’s Finance Ministry said it was “entirely unaware” of any U.S. plan to cancel the $4 billion. One ministry official told Israeli media that no formal document had come from Netanyahu’s office about ending the aid, and that the timing came as a surprise. A senior Israeli defense official said the announcement was not expected. Netanyahu’s office gave no immediate comment.
What Trump Said About the Deal
Trump said the plan came from Netanyahu himself. “Bibi Netanyahu and I have made a deal that we give Israel $4 billion a year, and we made a deal months ago that we’re stopping,” he said. Trump said Netanyahu “brought it up” and quoted him as saying, “I think it would be appropriate if we do not receive aid.” Trump said the two had discussed the idea for a couple of years.
The idea is not new for Netanyahu. In January 2026, he said he hoped to “taper” Israel off U.S. military aid over the next 10 years. Trump’s timeline is much faster. One senior Israeli financial official warned of the cost: “Giving up two years of aid is $8 billion. Where will we get this?” Trump said the U.S. would still “help Israel if they need it,” and that Israel “can buy whatever they want.”
How the Reported Aid Compares to Formal Figures
U.S. military aid to Israel runs under a memorandum of understanding, a 10-year written pledge between the two countries. It promises $38 billion over a decade, or about $3.8 billion a year. Trump’s $4 billion is a rounded version of that number. Asked whether he meant military aid or cash, Trump said, “Any way you want to define it.”
The current pledge began in 2018 and runs through 2028, so Trump’s plan would end it two years early. The pledge is also “subject to congressional appropriation,” according to the Congressional Research Service, the research office that serves Congress. That means lawmakers vote each year on how much money actually goes out. In May, the two countries began formal talks on a new agreement to follow the current one.
What Changes and What Stays in Place
For the moment, Trump’s words are a stated plan. The White House has not released an executive order or agency directive to carry it out, and Trump gave no details on whether missile defense money or existing contracts are included. Because Congress controls the purse, any cutoff would also run through the yearly spending bills lawmakers pass.
Trump made the remarks on the morning of Election Day, as voters went to the polls in the midterm elections. Aid to Israel had become a fight on both the left and the right. In July, the House voted down a plan by Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, to cut aid to Israel, 314 to 104. Trump presented his plan as a friendly change between allies. “Israel’s been a great ally, much more reliable than most,” he said.
Sources:
townhall.com, cbc.ca, ctvnews.ca, bloomberg.com, gmanetwork.com, nbcnews.com, kvia.com, congress.gov
