Even as they push for huge spending cuts, 11 freshman GOP senators say the U.S. must continue to provide foreign aid to its strongest ally in the Middle East: Israel.
The senators delivered a letter Wednesday to Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), reaffirming their support for security assistance for Israel. The U.S. spends more than $3 billion a year to help keep the nation safe.
“As we work to reduce wasteful government spending, we recognize that providing for the national defense is a constitutional responsibility of the federal government,” the senators wrote in a letter spearheaded by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), a member of the Foreign Relations Committee. “Therefore, we must continue to prioritize the safety of our nation and the security of our allies, including Israel.”
In recent months, the Middle East has seen a series of mass protests and political uprisings, many of them violent.
“Given the uncertainty of these events, and in light of the ongoing threats from Hezbollah, Hamas and a nuclear Iran, we believe that U.S. security assistance to Israel will continue to be a key national security interest,” the senators wrote.
Their position contrasts with that of fellow freshman Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a tea-party favorite whose budget proposal scraps all $60 billion in annual foreign aid funding, including money for Israel.
“I think they’re an important ally, but I also think that their per capita income is greater than probably three-fourths of the rest of the world,” Paul told ABC News in February. “Should we be giving free money or welfare to a wealthy nation? I don’t think so.”
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson was the only other Republican freshman not to sign on.
(Source: Politico)
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One Response
Foreign aide is a very cost effective way of increasing American influence in the world, strange that Sen. Rand Paul doesn’t seem to get that. Military assistance to Israel is essential to prevent another war.