Senator-elect Supports Trump’s Plan to Cut U.S. Military Aid to Israel

Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed, a Democrat from Michigan, has expressed his support for President Donald Trump’s proposal to halt almost $4 billion annually in U.S. military assistance to Israel. During an appearance on Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough questioned El-Sayed about the plan. El-Sayed stated, “I agree with him on that. I don’t think that we should be continuing to subsidize a foreign military that has done the worst things with our money.”

He went on to mention his willingness to collaborate with Trump on this matter. “I’d love to work with him on doing that. In fact, I don’t know that we should be continuing to sell weapons to a country that is, again, using our weapons to do awful things,” El-Sayed added.

Trump announced earlier this week that the U.S. would cease providing nearly $4 billion in annual assistance to Israel by 2026. He claimed he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had reached an agreement on this months prior. Trump argued that Israel no longer needed this funding. He has yet to specify how this change will be implemented.

The U.S. is currently obligated, under a memorandum of understanding from 2016, to give Israel $3.8 billion yearly up to fiscal year 2028. This includes $3.3 billion in military financing and $500 million for missile-defense programs. Trump did mention that Israel would still be able to purchase American weapons and might receive further support if needed.

This agreement is significant since Trump and El-Sayed were at odds during the Michigan Senate campaign. Disagreements on Israeli policy played a major role in their contest. El-Sayed campaigned against extending U.S. military aid to Israel.

This is a developing story. More updates will be provided as they come in.