As humans, we have a hard time comprehending numbers this large because we have no intuitive frame of reference. When I taught, my favorite analogy was time:
1 million seconds = ~11.6 days
1 billion seconds = ~31.7 years
The U.S. has given Israel roughly $298 BILLION in inflation-adjusted aid. If we handed Israel $1 every second, nonstop, it would take more than 9,400 years to equal what we’ve already given them.
Per CRS RL33222 (2025): ~$175B nominal US bilateral aid + missile defense to Israel since 1946 (~$298B in 2024$). ~$124.5B military, $34.3B economic (ended FY2008), $16.1B missile defense. Most FMF buys US gear (OSP to 0 by 2028), aiding US contractors/jobs.
Average taxpayer: ~$10-25/year baseline. Direct ordinary-American returns limited; indirect via defense employment, joint tech (Iron Dome), intel on shared threats. No official dollar "ROI" quantified. Costs are fiscal opportunity + strategic.