President Trump says U.S. will halt $4 billion annual aid to Israel after 2026

President Donald Trump told Fox News that the United States will end its annual $4 billion aid package to Israel starting in 2027, though the two nations will continue to conduct arms sales. Trump said the decision was prompted by a proposal from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and by discussions that have taken place over the past two years. > "Look, we give them $4 billion of things and money, and they don’t need it," he said during the call. He added that the assistance could be viewed as either cash or military supplies and described the change as a form of barter. Trump also claimed that the aid had become a political issue for some Democratic candidates, citing a Michigan Senate candidate as an example. No immediate comment was received from Netanyahu’s office. U.S. military assistance to Israel has totaled tens of billions of dollars in recent years. An academic study released last year estimated that the administrations of former President Joe Biden and President Trump together provided at least $21.7 billion in military assistance since the Gaza conflict began in 2023. Another study by the Costs of War project estimated an additional $10 billion in U.S. security assistance and operations across the broader Middle East over the same period.