El-Sayed Opposes Unconditional U.S. Military Aid to Foreign Countries
Michigan Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed told PBS NewsHour he opposes unconditional U.S. foreign military aid, saying he does not pay taxes so Egypt, Pakistan or Saudi Arabia get tanks.
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Incoming Michigan senator Abdul El-Sayed used a PBS NewsHour interview to argue that U.S. military assistance should be conditional on international law, and that the same test should apply to Israel as well as to Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
He spoke with Amna Nawaz on Nov. 12, while in Washington for Senate orientation, and is due to take office in January 2027.
Tax Dollars and Foreign Tanks
Nawaz asked whether Democrats needed a consensus on U.S. support for Israel, an issue that had divided the party in his primary.
El-Sayed said the public had already made up its mind.
“Tell you this, the public has pretty much clearly reached consensus. We don’t pay our tax dollars to buy bombs and tanks for other countries. We want to pay our tax dollars to buy good schools and healthcare here on our own. Whether or not parties recognize that, that is their choice.”
He then applied the same argument to other U.S. partners.
“And I’ll say the same thing. I don’t pay my tax dollars so the government of Egypt gets tanks or the government of Pakistan or the government of Saudi Arabia. I don’t believe that we should be doing unconditional foreign military aid as a matter of course.”
Conditions Tied to International Law
The senator-elect said any foreign military aid should depend on whether governments uphold international law.
He asked why Washington would fund a country that was “absolutely destroying, making a mockery out of international law, whether it’s genocide or apartheid or it is a war we have no business fighting for the annexation of a different country.”
“If any other country behaved that way, we would think very differently about calling them an ally,” he said.
He added that the United States should “treat everybody similarly.”
Same Standard for Partners
The remarks place Israel in the same category as Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, rather than treating it as an exception.
The PBS appearance came after El-Sayed stood by earlier insults against President Donald Trump in an NPR interview, and after Trump said the Democrat won more Jewish votes than Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan.
El-Sayed has also said he will likely swear into the Senate on a Quran.
Path to the Senate
El-Sayed defeated Rogers in Michigan’s Nov. 3 election for the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, and will be the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate.
He made similar arguments in earlier ABC News and NPR interviews, with different wording; the “tanks” formulation about Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is specific to the PBS appearance.
Kamer Kurunç
Kamer Kurunç is the Team Leader of Clash Report and has led the outlet for four years. He oversees its breaking world news coverage, from the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war to defense and global politics. His focus is fast, verified, source-based reporting. Follow him on X at @kamerknc.
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