President Donald Trump’s pledge to end U.S. military aid to Israel by the end of 2026 could shift defense costs to Israel, while Congress and existing commitments shape the transition.
In a Nov. 3 interview on Fox & Friends, Trump said the United States would stop paying Israel by the end of 2026 and said Israel could still buy U.S. weapons. He did not specify whether a cutoff would cover Foreign Military Financing grants, missile-defense support or both.
The 2016 U.S.-Israel memorandum of understanding covers fiscal 2019 through fiscal 2028. It sets out $3.3 billion a year in Foreign Military Financing grants and $500 million for cooperative missile-defense programs, with funding subject to congressional appropriations.
The Congressional Research Service says the memorandum does not have treaty force and does not prevent Congress from adjusting annual appropriations. Congress also appropriated $202 million in fiscal 2026 for cooperative defense programs outside the memorandum. Trump has not said how a cutoff would affect those programs.
If U.S. aid is phased out, Israel could use its own funds to buy U.S. equipment, seek other suppliers or expand domestic production, the CRS says. It also says most U.S. military aid finances purchases from American defense contractors, and that Israel may remain reliant on U.S. systems and supply chains. Based on that description of how the aid is spent, continued Israeli purchases could limit lost aid-funded sales for U.S. contractors.
Yair Golan, an Israeli opposition leader, said the cost would fall on the Israeli public, the Associated Press reported. The AP also reported that weapons Israel had already purchased could continue to arrive for years because sales, construction and delivery take time.
The proposed timeline is faster than the phaseout Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described in May, when he said he wanted to end U.S. financial support over the next decade. Israel’s Defense Ministry said talks begun with the U.S. administration would explore a phased arrangement involving joint research, development and production.
The Associated Press reported Nov. 7 that the White House had not responded to its request to clarify whether Trump’s remarks represented official policy. Congress’s annual funding decisions and the outcome of talks on a replacement framework will shape the transition.
