House of Representatives approves $3.3bn in military aid to Israel
The US House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday that includes $3.3bn in military aid for Israel.
The funds, in the form of foreign military financing (FMF), were approved amid rising tensions in the region, with US President Donald Trump weighing fresh strikes on Iran.
Israel attacked Iran in June, in a 12-day conflict that culminated in the US bombing Tehran's nuclear facilities.
The National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act (NSRP) of 2026 was passed as part of a legislative “minibus”- so called because it packages multiple spending bills. The NSRP allocates roughly $50bn in funding for the State Department, foreign aid and security assistance.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) welcomed the passage of the act.
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“The pro-Israel provisions in this bill further reinforce the bipartisan and ironclad support for the US-Israel partnership in Congress,” Aipac said in a statement.
“These resources help ensure that our ally can confront shared strategic threats and that America has a strong and capable ally in the heart of the Middle East,” the statement added.
Additional support to Israel
Unlike foreign military sales, by which countries use their own sovereign funds to buy American weapons systems, FMF is a programme in which the US taxpayer purchases weapons from defence companies on behalf of a foreign country.
Israel is the biggest recipient of FMF. The 10-year agreement under which Israel receives roughly $3.3bn in taxpayer-funded weapons is set to expire in 2028 and must be renegotiated.
Since 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israel and its war on Gaza, Israel has actually received a much higher defence subsidy from the US totalling nearly $34bn, according to a report published by Brown University.
That report included FMF under the 10-year agreement and additional support provided to Israel after it launched its onslaught on Gaza and attacked Iran.
The report also accounted for US military intervention alongside Israel in Yemen, in addition to striking Iran’s nuclear facilities in June and defending Israel from Iranian ballistic missiles.
The NSRP also includes a prohibition on US funds for the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry, and a complete ban on funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
The 2026 National Defence Authorisation Act, passed in December, also provided substantial funding for Israel that includes $500m for missile defence, $80m for “anti-tunneling” operations, and $70m for the US and Israel to jointly counter drone threats.
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