Political Quotes

“Reserving the right to object. While I respect the Senator from Kentucky's consistent approach to foreign aid spending, his substitute to H.R. 5323 is problematic for the following reasons: This amendment would unleash an array of adverse consequences for our broader foreign policy and national security objectives. This amendment ultimately proposes to rescind funds from the Departments of State and Defense. And this amendment would not reallocate funds that would allegedly go to the Taliban, as the Senator from Kentucky suggests. The reality is that U.S. dollars are not going to the Taliban, nor will they. Let me be clear and echo what the administration has said: No U.S. foreign aid will go to a Taliban-controlled Afghan Government. This does not mean that we remain any less committed to supporting the Afghan people. On the contrary, U.S. humanitarian aid could be routed through highly vetted partners, like the World Food Programme that we trust to put the interests of the Afghan people first. So let me be clear. Senator Paul's amendment would actually raid the funding that delivers lifesaving humanitarian aid to the Afghan people. And they need it more than ever. Secondly, Afghanistan is in the grips of a dire humanitarian crisis. The economy has collapsed. One in three Afghans do not know where their next meal will come from. People are afraid to leave their homes.…”