Washington, DC (June 4, 2026)

A new congressional proposal is expected to call for a major change in the way the United States supports Israel’s military, moving away from direct annual aid and toward a model in which Israel would finance its own purchases of American weapons.

Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana is preparing a nonbinding House resolution urging the next U.S.-Israel security agreement to end the current grant-based structure. The existing 10-year memorandum of understanding provides Israel with $3.8 billion in annual military assistance and is set to expire in 2028.

The proposal comes after Stutzman met last week in Jerusalem with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has increasingly spoken in favor of reducing Israel’s dependence on direct U.S. military aid. Netanyahu has framed the shift as a sign of Israel’s economic and defense maturity, while emphasizing that the alliance with Washington should continue through joint projects, weapons development, intelligence cooperation, and expanded defense trade.

The idea has also gained attention within the Trump administration. Senior U.S. officials have indicated that discussions are underway about a future agreement that would place greater emphasis on trade and partnership rather than traditional aid. Any formal change, however, would require extensive negotiation between the two governments and support in Congress.

Supporters of the shift argue that Israel has become strong enough to move beyond the aid-recipient model and that a new framework could answer growing questions from American taxpayers about foreign military assistance. They also say deeper industrial cooperation could benefit both countries by expanding weapons production, missile defense programs, and advanced technology development.

The proposal comes amid broader debate in Washington over U.S. spending abroad and the future of America’s security commitments. While support for Israel remains strong among many lawmakers, direct military aid has faced increasing scrutiny from both the right and left.

For now, the current aid agreement remains in place through 2028. Stutzman’s resolution would not change policy on its own, but it signals a growing push to reshape one of the central pillars of the U.S.-Israel defense relationship.