Michigan’s newly elected Democratic senator Abdul El-Sayed has called for scrutiny of US assistance to Pakistan and other countries, saying American taxpayers’ money should not support governments that breach international law. The first Muslim elected to the US Senate made the remarks while outlining his position on foreign military aid following his election victory earlier this week.
El-Sayed, a Democrat who defeated Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s November 3 Senate election, said on Thursday that Washington should apply the same standards to countries receiving American support. His comments came during a discussion about Israel, the Palestinians and the use of US funds abroad.
Asked about Israel’s future and the rights of Israelis and Palestinians, El-Sayed argued that American policy should be based on equal rights and respect for international law. He said his approach was not limited to Israel and applied to other recipients of US assistance.
Pakistan among countries named in US aid debate
“I take the same approach to Pakistan and to Jordan,” he said, after referring to Egypt, the country from which his family emigrated. He added that US assistance should be examined where a recipient government was “using our money to violate international law”.
El-Sayed did not identify a particular Pakistani programme or spell out an allegation that Pakistan had used American aid to commit a specific violation.
The US government’s foreign assistance database shows about $195.8 million in obligations for Pakistan during fiscal year 2025. Approximately 2 per cent was classified as military assistance, while the rest was economic assistance.
El-Sayed supports Trump’s proposal to end Israel aid
On Wednesday, the senator-elect also questioned American military support for Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. He said taxpayers’ funds should be spent on needs within the United States instead of subsidising overseas armed forces.
He was speaking after President Donald Trump announced plans to end nearly $4 billion in annual military aid to Israel by the end of 2026. El-Sayed supported the proposal and called for an end to American arms sales to Israel that, he said, could be used for abuses against Palestinians.
“I think the president is actually right on this policy,” he said. The United States currently provides Israel with about $3.8 billion in annual military aid under an agreement scheduled to run until 2028, as per media reports.
Abdul El-Sayed becomes first Muslim elected to US Senate
El-Sayed, 42, a former public health official, won the Michigan seat being vacated by Democrat Gary Peters, who decided not to seek another term. His victory made him the first Muslim elected to the US Senate.
During the campaign, he advocated a government-funded universal healthcare programme, measures to reduce the influence of money in politics and policies to lower household costs. His opposition to US military assistance to Israel became a major point of disagreement with Rogers and some Democrats.
