GOP Resolution Seeks to Phase Out U.S. Military Aid to Israel
Republican congressmen have proposed ending annual U.S. military aid to Israel in favor of a partnership based on trade and defense cooperation, receiving public support from Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Representatives Marlin Stutzman of Indiana and Abe Hamadeh of Arizona introduced the nonbinding resolution this week, according to Breitbart News, calling on Washington and Jerusalem to negotiate a new memorandum of understanding ahead of the expiration of the current ten-year military aid package in 2028.
The proposal centers on a phased withdrawal of the $3.8 billion in direct military assistance Israel currently receives each year, to be replaced by a framework emphasizing joint defense cooperation, co-development and co-production of weapons systems, and bilateral investment in emerging technologies.
Netanyahu signaled his support for the initiative in a June 1 letter sent following a May 27 meeting in Jerusalem with Stutzman and Hamadeh. In the letter, the Israeli leader praised the vision behind the resolution and expressed readiness to transition the relationship away from aid dependency.
While acknowledging Israel’s gratitude for decades of American military support, Netanyahu wrote that the time has now arrived for us to move from aid recipient to partner, as Breitbart News reports.
The prime minister highlighted his enthusiasm for the proposal’s focus on collaborative work in advanced missile defense, artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, cybersecurity, and next-generation military platforms.
Stutzman framed the resolution as recognition of Israel’s maturation as an economic and military power. Speaking to the Jerusalem Post, he described the effort as moving the bilateral relationship toward a more balanced arrangement centered on trade and defense cooperation rather than financial assistance.
The Indiana congressman recounted that during their recent meeting, Netanyahu pointed to Israel’s nearly $1 trillion economy and emphasized the country’s growing capacity for self-reliance. Stutzman called Israel a superpower in the Middle East and described the Jewish state as America’s greatest ally.
Netanyahu has been advocating publicly for reduced dependence on U.S. military aid for over a year, arguing that Israel’s economic expansion and technological capabilities now make an equal partnership feasible.
In a recent CBS News interview, the Israeli prime minister said he wanted to draw down to zero the financial element of American military support, proposing a decade-long process that would begin immediately.
Hamadeh promoted the resolution on social media Wednesday, describing it as the beginning of a new era in the U.S.-Israel alliance. He credited President Trump and the Abraham Accords with laying the groundwork for a shift from aid to strategic partnership, calling the proposal the next chapter in what he termed an “Aid to Trade” transition.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee indicated this week that future agreements between the two nations could reflect this approach, writing on social media that a new memorandum of understanding with Israel would end aid and be based on trade instead.
The existing U.S.-Israel memorandum of understanding was signed in 2016 and allocates $38 billion in military assistance over ten years. It is set to expire in 2028.
Though Stutzman’s resolution carries no binding force and would not alter the current agreement, its backers argue it establishes a foundation for renegotiating the relationship around shared strategic priorities, defense innovation, and expanded commerce rather than direct financial transfers.
With information from Breitbart News
