Donald Trump said the United States would end its roughly $4 billion in annual assistance to Israel by the end of 2026, saying he and Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed months earlier to phase it out while leaving open the possibility of U.S. help if Israel needed it.

Trump announced the decision on Nov. 3, the day of the U.S. midterm elections, as Republicans faced low approval ratings and the prospect of losing control of Congress; he said aid gave Democratic candidates a talking point, but did not explain why he was announcing an agreement he said was made months earlier.

The announcement did not specify which funding Trump meant or how it would be halted: the existing agreement provides $3.8 billion in annual military aid through September 2028, with Congress required to approve annual appropriations.

If implemented, the move would mark a major break from decades of billions of dollars in annual U.S. aid, primarily for defense.

The scale of past support remains substantial: studies cited in the article put U.S. military assistance to Israel at least $21.7 billion in the two years after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks.

Congressional figures show Israel has received more than $190 billion in cumulative U.S. bilateral assistance and missile-defense funding, the largest total for any recipient since the Second World War.

The announcement landed amid political uncertainty in Israel, where the Oct. 27 election left Netanyahu’s bloc with 53 seats and Gadi Eisenkot’s opposition bloc with 48, short of the 61 needed for a majority.

Eisenkot criticized Netanyahu for allowing Israel’s defense establishment and the public to learn of the change through media reports, saying the U.S. relationship was essential to national security and Netanyahu could no longer be trusted.

Yair Golan warned that ending the aid would damage Israel’s security and quality of life as it works to replenish weapons and rebuild air defenses.

The aid debate has sharpened in both major U.S. parties amid growing criticism of Israel and divisions over the Gaza war; an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll found 58% of Americans favored reducing or ending U.S. military support.

Anger over Gaza has helped progressive candidates gain traction, including Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, who was running against Republican Mike Rogers and could become the first Muslim senator if elected.

The issue has also exposed divisions among Democrats: Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens endorsed Rogers, El-Sayed’s rival, while nearly half of House Democrats supported a July 2026 amendment to cut off aid, which failed 314-104.