President Donald Trump made a last-minute pledge on Tuesday to end direct military aid to Israel at the end of the year, saying the almost $4 billion in annual assistance opens up Israel’s supporters to unnecessary political attacks.

Trump announced his planned shift during a phone interview with “Fox & Friends” on Election Day, as splits on Israel have splintered a number of key races, including for the Senate in Michigan.

“We were giving them 4 billion. We are, but it gets cut off at the end of the year,” Trump said on “Fox & Friends.” Referring to Michigan’s Democratic Senate candidate, he added, “Because why should we suffer the slings from lunatics like an [Abdul] El-Sayed when they don’t need it.”

The U.S. and Israel were already in active discussions about phasing out direct assistance as part of negotiations before a 2018 memorandum of understanding dictating the aid expires in 2028.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told Trump he wants to taper the current $3.8 billion per year to zero in the next 10 years, a change Netanyahu announced in an interview with The Economist in January. He is seeking a new arrangement in which the U.S. and Israel would maintain close defense cooperation.

Israel currently receives $3.3 billion in military financing plus $500 million in missile defense annually from the U.S., mostly in the form of subsidies for Israel to buy American-made weapons. Most of the funds ends up being paid to U.S. defense companies.

Trump would need to work with Congress to eliminate U.S. grant funding for Israel. Congress has authorized and appropriated billions in lethal aid through 2028.

Some lawmakers are working on legislation that would shift the funding from direct aid to defense investments and co-production on military technology. Such proposals could come up at the end of this year as part of negotiations on the National Defense Authorization Act, the annual defense policy bill.

Trump War Room, the rapid response X account for Trump’s political operation, posted a graphic touting the president’s announcement on Tuesday, with the caption “America First.”

Under a photo of Trump in a white USA hat, the graphic reads, “President Trump and Netanyahu have reached an agreement to end annual aid, because a strong ally no longer needs American taxpayers footing the bill.”

Although the U.S. and Israel have had discussions on ending direct aid, Israeli officials were caught off guard by the timing and are trying to figure out the implications of Trump’s announcement, said two people familiar with the matter — one with direct knowledge of the discussions —, granted anonymity to share sensitive conversations.

Netanyahu’s office didn’t immediately comment on Trump’s announcement.

Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu’s main challenger in the Israeli elections and a former chief of staff of Israel’s military, said he was surprised and demanded answers from Netanyahu.

“The fact that the defense establishment, along with Israeli citizens, is learning through the media about a change in the strategic relationship shows just how much Netanyahu’s conduct poses a real danger,” Eisenkot said in a statement. “He can no longer be trusted and must be replaced.”

Israel’s elections did not yield a clear majority government, and its various parties are beginning negotiations to form a government. That process is expected to end in December.

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