The aid proposal and existing support
Legis1's headline cites a $2.1 billion aid boost under consideration, while the available summary identifies $650 million in additional assistance. The summary does not explain how the two figures relate.
Jordan is already scheduled to receive $425 million in Foreign Military Financing, $845 million in direct budgetary support and nearly $200 million in other aid in 2026, according to a September 17 report from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. The institute ranks Jordan as the second-largest recipient of U.S. non-emergency foreign assistance.
The relationship extends back decades. In its January 8, 2026, update to "Jordan: Background and U.S. Relations," CRS puts U.S. bilateral aid to Jordan at approximately $33.8 billion from fiscal 1951 through fiscal 2025, placing the country among the largest recipients worldwide.
Attacks on Jordan and U.S. military sites
The new CRS report says Iran had reportedly fired more than 400 projectiles at Jordan as of September. Separately, the Washington Institute reported that Iran and its Iraqi proxies launched more than 200 drones and missiles against U.S. forces and Jordanian targets in the kingdom during Operation Epic Fury. Most were intercepted, according to the institute.
Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, the site of the fatal July strike, housed some 60 U.S. combat aircraft as of February 2026. Before the war, it also served as a key hub for U.S. C-17 airlifts, the Washington Institute said.
Jordan hosts nearly 4,000 U.S. troops, according to CRS's January report. The Los Angeles Times reported on July 28 that Iranian strikes had endangered about 4,000 American service members at bases across Jordan.
The Washington Institute's September report also described damage elsewhere in the region: a missile attack destroyed the Combined Air Operations Center at Al Udeid airbase in Qatar, and Iran struck more than 13 U.S. military bases during the hostilities. The institute put estimated damage to U.S. bases at up to $5 billion.
Military access faces domestic opposition
Under the 2021 U.S.-Jordan Defense Cooperation Agreement, American forces have unimpeded access to 12 Jordanian facilities, five of them air bases, according to the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Institute. The Times reported that a royal decree approved the agreement without going through Jordan's parliament.
The war has also strained Jordan's economy. In its July 28 report, the Times described a collapse in tourism since military operations against Iran began. Official figures put the sector's share of GDP at almost 15%. Gas prices rose 11% one month after the war began, the newspaper reported.
In late July 2026, more than 300 Jordanian politicians, academics, lawyers, retired military officers and tribal leaders signed an open letter urging the government to leave the U.S. defense agreement and keep Jordanian installations neutral, according to the Times.
