Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed said President Donald Trump is right to end U.S. military aid to Israel, and called for American weapons sales to Israel to be halted as well.
Speaking to NPR’s Morning Edition on Wednesday, the day after his victory, El-Sayed was asked about Trump’s announcement that the United States would stop its roughly $4 billion in annual military aid to Israel at the end of this year. “A broken clock is right twice a day,” El-Sayed said. “I think the president is actually right on this policy.”
El-Sayed went further than Trump, saying he also wants U.S. arms sales to Israel stopped. Trump has said Israel will still be able to purchase American weapons. El-Sayed also questioned U.S. military support for Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Pakistan, arguing that American tax dollars should be spent at home.
El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers on Tuesday to become the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate. His opposition to military aid for Israel was a defining issue in the race. He has repeatedly accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, and Haley Stevens, whom he defeated in the Democratic primary, endorsed Rogers days before the election amid a bitter dispute over Israel.
Trump announced the aid cut in an Election Day interview, saying he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed months ago to end the funding and that Netanyahu had raised the idea. A spokesperson for Netanyahu said Israel was not aware of such an agreement and would seek clarification. Netanyahu said earlier this year that he hoped to taper off U.S. military aid over the next decade.
The current 10-year memorandum of understanding provides Israel with $3.8 billion a year and runs through 2028. Trump has not explained how the aid would be ended before the agreement expires.
