Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) on the Senate floor Tuesday decried the $95 billion foreign aid package, calling it “legislative blackmail” to get...
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) on the Senate floor Tuesday decried the $95 billion foreign aid package, calling it “legislative blackmail” to get Republicans to drop their demand for border security.
The Senate is set to approve the $95 billion foreign aid package; Republicans such as Rubio oppose the package because they believe that any more aid must be coupled with legislation to combat the migrant crisis at the southern border.
Rubio was one of the 19 senators to oppose the motion to invoke cloture on the foreign aid package.
The Florida senator said on the Senate floor that Congress must prioritize the issues facing America first before tackling other issues.
He said, “I have senior citizens, I have veterans, and they call my office and they say, ‘I have nowhere to live, housing is too expensive’ … And the most we can often do is help get them on a waiting list for section eight housing. This is a problem that exists in America right now.”
Rubio added, “But if I want to help Israel, if I want to help Taiwan, if I want to help Ukraine, if I want to ban TikTok, I have to vote for spending billions of dollars to give to charity groups so they can fly people around the country here and put them up in hotel rooms, or so they can help resettlement in another country?”
Rubio compared this bill to “legislative blackmail,” saying lawmakers should give up their demands for border security in exchange for passing foreign aid.
He said:
But this bill is not that. This bill is not a compromise. This bill is basically saying that if I don’t agree to drop my demands that the president secure our border, if I don’t agree to spend billions of taxpayer dollars all over the world to resettle people here and in other places in the midst of our own migratory crisis, if I don’t agree to all of that, then Israel and Taiwan and Ukraine do not get the help they need—and that I support—and that TikTok does not get banned. This is not a compromise. This is legislative blackmail, and I will not vote for blackmail. [Emphasis added]
Rubio represents the dwindling number of Republicans that are opposed to congressional leadership’s foreign aid strategy.
In February, 29 senators opposed the foreign aid package; now, only 19 senators opposethe legislation.
Conservative leaders such as Rachel Bovard have noted the significance of Rubio opposing the foreign aid package.
She wrote:
Marco Rubio, ranking member of the Senate Intel Committee is on the Senate floor explaining his no vote on the UKR supplemental. Even though he supports aid to Ukraine, Israel, and TikTok divestment, “this bill is not compromise, this is legislative blackmail. And I will not vote for blackmail” — because it also contains massive migrant resettlement language and no border security.
She added, “The SCIF doesn’t work on everyone. How refreshing.”
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