U.S. Military Aid to Israel: The 2028 Deadline Explained
The $3.8 billion-a-year aid pact ends in 2028. How U.S. military aid to Israel works, recent arms sales, Senate votes and what may replace the deal.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2026 — U.S. military aid to Israel is entering a decisive stretch. The current 10-year agreement runs out after fiscal year 2028, Congress is writing new cooperation programs into the annual defense bill, and the next Israeli government will help decide what comes after. This explainer sets out what the aid includes, how arms sales move through Washington, and the main options under discussion.
What the current agreement provides
The United States and Israel signed their third memorandum of understanding in 2016, covering fiscal years 2019 through 2028. According to the Congressional Research Service report U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel, it pledges $3.3 billion a year in Foreign Military Financing, which Israel uses to buy American weapons, plus $500 million a year for joint missile defense programs.
The same report calls Israel the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign assistance since World War II, with $174 billion provided in bilateral assistance and missile defense funding, measured in current dollars that are not adjusted for inflation. A separate CRS overview, Israel: Major Issues and U.S. Relations, says aid approved by Congress has generally exceeded $3.8 billion a year and has helped Israel build conventional military and industrial advantages over adversaries such as Iran.
Wartime supplemental funding
Congress has added money on top of the agreement since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack. CRS lists the April 2024 supplemental law, P.L. 118-50, which provided $3.5 billion in additional military financing, $4 billion for missile defense and $1.2 billion for Iron Beam, Israel’s laser air defense system. Our Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow explainer describes how those systems work together.
How arms sales reach Congress
Large sales to Israel are notified to Congress, which can try to block them with a joint resolution of disapproval. Two recent State Department actions show the process.
On March 6, 2026, the department announced approval of 12,000 BLU-110A/B general-purpose bomb bodies worth an estimated $151.8 million. The notice said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had determined “that an emergency exists” requiring the immediate sale, “thereby waiving the Congressional review requirements.”
A later case, published in the Federal Register on May 14, 2026, covers 10,000 APKWS II laser-guided rocket kits for an estimated $992.4 million. The notice describes guided rockets “steered to the target by following reflected laser beam energy,” a program we covered in our report on APKWS production.
Overall, the Trump administration formally notified Congress of possible sales to Israel worth more than $12 billion in 2025 and has reportedly notified more than $7 billion so far in 2026, according to CRS.
Rising scrutiny in the Senate
CRS reports that some members of Congress have increased their scrutiny of aid and arms sales. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, has introduced several resolutions of disapproval. None has passed, but one in 2026 won the support of 40 senators, CRS says, more than similar votes drew in April 2025.
CRS places that scrutiny within an “ongoing debate in the United States over the impact of Israel’s approach on U.S. interests.” The same report describes the relationship as rooted in shared strategic interests, including countering threats from other regional states and militant groups.
The debate over a new agreement
CRS reports that U.S. and Israeli officials have reportedly begun discussions on a memorandum covering the decade after fiscal 2028. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials, with support from some members of Congress, have proposed phasing out direct Foreign Military Financing and shifting cooperation toward joint programs, research and development, and co-production.
Congress is already moving in that direction. The House version of the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, H.R. 8800, includes a U.S.-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative in Section 224. It would require the defense secretary to name an executive agent “responsible for synchronizing cooperative efforts between the United States and Israel,” according to CRS. The Senate version, S. 4784, has a similar provision in Section 1217. Separately, the Senate intelligence bill, S. 4615, includes a section that would “expand and enhance intelligence sharing with Israel.”
What it means for Israel
For Israelis, the outcome affects long-term planning for the air force, missile defense and the defense industry. Joint programs can bring U.S. funding for Israeli technology, while the shift away from grant aid would change how Israel pays for American aircraft and munitions. The government that emerges from the Oct. 27 Knesset election will lead Israel’s side of the talks.
What to watch
- NDAA conference: Whether the final defense bill keeps the House and Senate cooperation initiatives.
- New notifications: Further sales and any use of emergency authority to skip congressional review.
- Senate votes: Whether support for resolutions of disapproval grows beyond 40 votes.
- Memorandum talks: Any public framework for aid after 2028.
Day-to-day developments are tracked in the Middle East War Room.
Sources
- Congressional Research Service: U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel (RL33222, May 28, 2025)
- Congressional Research Service: Israel: Major Issues and U.S. Relations (R44245, July 2, 2026)
- U.S. State Department: Israel – Munitions and Munitions Support (Mar. 6, 2026)
- Federal Register: Arms Sales Notification, APKWS II for Israel (May 14, 2026)
