Underscoring his commitment to the U.S.-Israel relationship, President Barack Obama requested a record $3.1 billion in military assistance to Israel for the 2013 fiscal year. The requested amount is not just the largest assistance request for Israel ever, it is the largest foreign assistance request ever in U.S. history.
According to page 172 of the State Department’s report on the FY 2013 budget, foreign military financing to Israel has increased steadily under Obama:
* In 2011, Israel received $2.994 billion;
* In 2012, Israel is estimated to have received $3.075 billion; and
* In 2013, Obama requested for Israel to receive $3.1 billion—almost half of the entire global request for foreign military financing.
This is consistent with the ten-year Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Israel.
The increase in funding will help the Jewish state maintain its qualitative military edge and keep its citizens secure as the Middle East continues to undergo rapid change.
While one line for missile defense was slightly decreased, the overall White House foreign military assistance budget request was increased by more than four times more—$25 million—from $3.075 billion last year to $3.1 billion this year. So while adjustments may have been made to individual line items, they were swamped by the much larger overall increase in military aid requested for Israel by the Obama Administration. In addition, historically there has always been this back-and-forth in adjusting individual line items between the Executive Branch and Congress, regardless of party—more can be found here: http://blogs.jta.org/politics/article/2012/02/16/3091704/on-missile-defense-controversy-a-look-at-the-historical-record
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