Rand Paul, the lone senator, stood tall as another huge American taxpayer money giveaway was hurling down the track on Thursday. He shouted “Stop!”
On Tuesday, the $40 billion aid package passed the House with 54 Republicans voting in favor. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made an agreement to speed-track the spending bill through Congress on Thursday. When Schumer asked the legislative chamber if there were objections to the bill being passed with a simple unanimous vote of the members, Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, flipped on the machine.
The stiff-spined legislator stated, “Reserving my right to object,” that his oath of office was to the U.S. Constitution and not to any foreign nation. “And regardless of how sympathetic the cause may be, my oath of service is to the national security of America.”
He said that “We cannot save Ukraine if we doom the U.S. economic.” Paul then gave a brief summary of the financial difficulties Americans are in, including dramatically increased fuel and food prices. Paul stated, “Inflation does not just happen out of nowhere, it is caused by deficit spending.”
He went on to list additional reasons Congress should reconsider giving $40 billion more casually.
Paul noted that “if this gift to Ukraine is passed, our total assistance to Ukraine will almost match the entire Russian military budget.” The new cash dump, when combined with $13 billion that the United States already sent to Ukraine this spring, would bring the total U.S. assistance to Ukraine to nearly $54 billion. In 2021, Russia’s total military budget was less than $66 billion.
He said, “And it’s certainly not as though we have that money lying around; to send it to Ukraine, we will need to borrow that money form China.” He said, “The cost of this package that we are voting on today exceeds the U.S. spending during the first year in Afghanistan conflict.”
Paul said that the billions of dollars spent on funding is dwarfed by the amount the United States spends annually on cancer research–$6 Billion. This figure is higher than what the government collects each year in gas taxes to build roads and bridges. It is almost equal to the entire State Department budget…and exceeds that of the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of Energy.
This is a lot of money considering that the United States isn’t even involved in this war.
Gee, whiz! How much do the Bidens owe that corrupt government?
Paul suggested an extremely reasonable amendment.
He proposed, “So I act for modification of the bill to permit for a special inspector general.” “This would be an inspector general who has been supervising Afghanistan’s waste and has done a fantastic job.”
If we believe Afghanistan is worthy enough to send someone to monitor our spending, then why wouldn’t we do so in a country like Ukraine, which is notoriously corrupt?
Schumer was clearly opposed to this common-sense idea. The frustrated senator said, “It’s obvious from the junior senator of Kentucky’s comments that he doesn’t wish to aid Ukraine.” “All he will do with his actions today is delay that aid, and not stop it.”
Schumer is likely correct in stating that Paul cannot prevent the $40 billion package passing. Paul was able stop the Ukraine train today, but it will be voted on next Wednesday.
