Michigan Senator-Elect Abdul El-Sayed Backs Trump’s Plan to Cut Aid to Israel and Calls for an End to U.S. Arms Sales
Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan’s newly elected Democratic senator, said he supports President Donald Trump’s proposal to end U.S. military aid to Israel and would be willing to work with him on the issue, while calling for Washington to stop selling weapons to the country.
Speaking on MS NOW’s Morning Joe on Thursday, November 5, El-Sayed said American taxpayers should not continue financing Israeli military operations that he believes have contributed to atrocities against Palestinians.
“I agree with him on that. I don’t think we should be continuing to subsidize a foreign military that is again using our weapons to do awful things,” he said when asked about Trump’s proposal. “I would love to work with him on doing that.”
El-Sayed went further, questioning whether the United States should continue selling weapons to Israel even if direct military assistance ends.
Trump announced plans this week to end roughly $4 billion in annual military aid to Israel, although the existing assistance agreement runs through 2028 and the details of an earlier termination remain unresolved.
El-Sayed rejected suggestions that his criticism of Israeli government policy reflected hostility toward Jewish people, insisting on a distinction between Judaism, Jewish communities and the actions of the Israeli state.
“We have to separate between Judaism and the Jewish people and Israel and its actions. We have to,” he said.
He accused Israel of maintaining apartheid policies in the occupied West Bank and described its conduct in Gaza as genocide.
“We’re told that if you want to stand up against the murder of innocent Palestinian children, that’s somehow about hate for anybody,” he said. “It’s about equal love for those Palestinian children.”
The senator-elect said his objective was a future in which Palestinian and Jewish-Israeli children could grow up without fearing violence.
El-Sayed also emphasized his commitment to protecting Jewish Americans, recalling his own concerns about leaving his children at a mosque and wondering whether they would return home safely.
“I’m committed to the safety of Jewish children like I’m committed to the safety of my own children,” he said.
Despite his political differences with Trump, El-Sayed said he was prepared to cooperate with anyone on policies that benefited Americans. He argued that politics should not be driven by retaliation against opponents.
“It’s not about retribution. It should never be about retribution. It’s about enforcing the rule of law and, most importantly, delivering for the American public.”
El-Sayed, who defeated Republican Mike Rogers in Tuesday’s Senate election, also challenged the perception that Trump was politically unbeatable, arguing that confronting him could produce results.
On economic priorities, he said government policy should focus less on enriching billionaires and more on providing children with quality education and opportunities to build financial security.