It's Time to Rethink U.S. Foreign Aid

On the eleventh anniversary of September 11th, America was attacked again on its sovereign soil. In Egypt, protestors stormed the U.S. Embassy, and in Libya, our Ambassador, Chris Stephens, and three other Americans were brutally murdered. Since then we have watched horrific scenes of our flag burning in the streets and our embassies under siege. Over the past month I have talked to many of you who wonder why we send money to many of these nations when their hatred for America is at an all time high. I couldn't agree more. It's time to rethink U.S. foreign aid.

There are 191 countries in the world. The United States gives money to 158 of them. We give money to Venezuela, Egypt, Libya and our Benedict Arnold Ally, Pakistan, just to name a few. We even give money to our good buddies the Chinese even though they hold over $1 trillion of our federal debt. Isn't that lovely? Our national debt is over $16 trillion; we need to stop sending money that we don't have all over the world.

Foreign aid and other US money should only go to nations when it is in the national interest of the United States. That is why I introduced the Foreign Aid Accountability Act. Right now, Congress votes on foreign aid for every country all together in one bill. So, if we give aid to Israel, we give aid to Pakistan. This bill would require a country-by-country vote on all U.S. foreign aid. I believe that most of those 158 countries would receive no aid at all. It is the responsibility of Congress to be careful stewards of the people's money. We don't need to pay nations to betray us; they will do it for free (and several already do).

One of the major concerns with U.S. foreign aid is that once we send money to countries, we have no idea where it is spent and how effective it is. To address this, I also introduced the Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act along with Howard Berman (D-CA), the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. This bipartisan bill brings much needed transparency and accountability to the foreign aid process by informing the American people about where their money is spent and how effective the aid is. If foreign aid is either being wasted, or not going to where and who it is intended, it is the responsibility of Congress to stop this aid immediately.

It is time to rethink and reform foreign aid. No more aid to hostile countries. Period. And that’s just the way it is.