Sen. Rand Paul might be the only person in Congress who cares where U.S. taxpayers’ money goes.
In the Senate yesterday, while discussing the Iron Dome funding bill, Paul preached accountability and wanted to ensure taxpayer money is not being funneled to the Taliban in Afghanistan. Paul is doing yeoman’s work ensuring the U.S. funds the Iron Dome system, which defends civilians from terrorist attacks, while trying to prevent reckless Democratic spending leading to financing of the Taliban government. The United States should fund our allies, not our enemies.
“I join the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee in being supportive of Iron Dome,” he said. “But I think it should be paid for. I think the American taxpayer dollars that pay for it should come from money that could go to the Taliban. The fund with over $6 billion dollars in it that was designated for the Afghan government and that money I think could be spent on the Taliban if we do not rescind that money.”
Democrats have not learned anything from President Joe Biden’s disastrous, poorly planned, lethal troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. Our government should not be so cavalier with taxpayer money that it ends up in the Taliban’s hands through Biden administration officials’ carelessness.
They already received a donation of tens of billions in military equipment from the Biden administration. They do not need billions more.
Democrats, of course, reject all accountability for what they have done. Some have attacked Paul and questioned his dedication to defending Israel on the basis of his principled opposition to foreign aid.
But Paul was prepared for such fallacious arguments.
“I want an Israel strong enough so that it does not have to rely on American support,” Paul said. “But if we’re here to add an additional billion dollars in aid, all I ask is that we make sure it is paid for. My amendment would rescind $6 billion in Afghanistan reconstruction money that otherwise might go to the Taliban. Secretary Blinken said, as recently as two weeks ago, that this money may well go to the new Taliban government.”
Every Republican senator supported Paul’s proposal. But Democrats blocked it. That tells you where they are. They would rather fund the Taliban than a life-saving civilian protection system in Israel. We need more of what Paul is advocating, not less of it.
