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Floor Speech
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Mr. PAUL. Mr. President.
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Mr. PAUL. It is not only an opinion I hold, it is actually the law. It is called pay as you go.
We passed the law many years ago--more than a decade ago--to try to balance our books by having people come forward with things that sound good, want to spend it but not offset it by spending cuts elsewhere.
There is no question that the United States has been a very good ally of Israel. Over time, probably funds exceeding $80 to $100 billion have been expended to Israel over the last four decades. Just on missile defense, the United States has given Israel $7 billion: $1.6 billion for Iron Dome, $2 billion for David's Sling, and $3.7 billion for Arrow. In fact, the NDAA that just passed this week gives them another $100 million for this.
I am not disputing whether or not the extra billion dollars would help them. I will vote for the extra billion dollars, and that is what I will propose today. But it should be offset with spending cuts elsewhere.
There is a $3 billion fund that is left over from money we were giving to the Afghan national government. There is no Afghan national government. There is a bunch of hoodlums, the Taliban, who have taken over.
I asked Secretary Blinken: Can you assure me you are not going to give these funds to the Taliban?
He says: It depends on how they behave.
So it isn't so certain that this money is not going to go to the Taliban. The current law may say future money goes, but this old money, and we don't want it going to the Taliban. We think it should be better spent.
It is money that can be reclaimed. Why wouldn't it be a good thing to take money that might go to our enemy and actually give it to our ally? It makes perfect sense. Why would we be so obstinate that we are unwilling to take a pay-for? It is a pay-for that is sitting there waiting for us to use.
Three billion dollars is supposed to be given to the Afghan national government. It no longer exists. Let's take a billion of that, let's give it for Iron Dome; let's give $2 billion back to the Treasury. It sounds like a win-win-win all around.
Why can't we, for once in our lives, spend money on something good and take away money from something where we shouldn't be spending it? This money was never intended to go to anything but the Afghan national government. They don't exist anymore. We should reclaim that money, spend a billion on the Iron Dome, and put $2 billion back in the Treasury. It might be the first time in decades that we actually did something fiscally responsible around here. But that is a problem. I don't understand why we can't do it.
So I would--rather than just give another billion dollars out of the Treasury that actually makes us weaker, makes us more in debt, let's offset it by taking money that is in a fund for an entity that no longer exists.
So, Mr. President, I, therefore, ask the Senator to modify his request so that instead of his proposal, the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 140, H.R. 5323; further, that the only amendment in order be my substitute amendment, which is at the desk. I further ask that there be 2 hours of debate, equally divided between the two leaders or their designees; and that upon the use or yielding back of that time, the Paul substitute amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time, and the Senate vote on passage of the bill, as amended, with no intervening action or debate.
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Mr. PAUL. Mr. President.
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Mr. PAUL. We can get a billion dollars additional, in addition to the $100 million, in addition to the $7 billion we have already given to Israel, in addition to the $80 to $100 billion we have given to them over the decades--we can do an extra billion today. All I am asking is that it is paid for.
The objections coming from Democrats is that they are unwilling to pay for the Iron Dome spending so, in reality, the funding won't happen today because of Democrat opposition to Iron Dome being paid for. It can happen right now. All you got to do is agree to take money from a defunct fund to a defunct entity. Three billion dollars is in a fund to an entity that no longer exists. The Afghan national government no longer exists. This is such an easy pay-for. This one is dangling low fruit that we can pay for. You can get exactly what we want to do, that is a billion dollars extra, in addition to the money we already have given Israel for Iron Dome, but pay for it. That is a responsible way.
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