WASHINGTON – Today,U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) delivered remarks on the Senate floor regarding the foreign aid package before the Senate. Senator Tuberville expressed concern over the Biden administration’s reckless use of American taxpayer money to bankroll an unwinnable war in Ukraine.
Read the remarks below on YouTube or Rumble.
“Mr. President,
I cannot believe we are here again. Americans cannot believe what they are witnessing here today.
Less than a week ago, House Republican leadership sold out Americans and passed a bill that sends $95 billion to other countries.
With the Speaker’s blessing, the House Rules Committee approved a package of foreign aid bills that undermines America’s interests abroad and paves our nation’s path to bankruptcy. The Speaker relied on Democrats to force this $95 billion package through committee over the objection of three conservative members.
Unfortunately, our leadership here in the Senate, both Democrat and Republican, are complicit. The Senate is about to follow the House’s lead, further violating the trust of those who sent us here. We are about to vote on another $60 billion for Ukraine. This on top of the $120 billion the American taxpayers already sent into this black hole with no accountability.
We are a country that is $35 trillion in debt. We are country whose southern border is wide open thanks to the Biden Administration. Illegal immigrants are invading our country. Drugs, including fentanyl, are flooding across [our borders] and killing hundreds – hundreds – of Americans a day.
We are printing money for other countries while inflation continues to crush the American citizen. Not one dollar of this bill is paid. Not one. We will have to print more money or borrow it from China. All to fund foreign wars while we are losing the fight at our own southern border. What we are doing is a slap in the face to the Americans who sent us here to represent them.
Instead of debating legislation to close the border and fix the economy, we are about to send billions of dollars to one of the most corrupt countries in the world. The war in Ukraine is [at a] stalemate. It has been for a while. Pouring more money into Ukraine’s coffers will only prolong the conflict and lead to more loss of life. No one at the White House, the Pentagon, or the State Department can articulate what victory looks like in this fight. They couldn’t when we sent the first tranche of aid over two years ago.
We should be working with Ukraine and Russia to negotiate an end to this madness. That’s called diplomacy, by the way. A tactic this administration has been completely unwilling to use.
Instead, Congress is rushing to further bankroll the waging of a war that has zero chance of a positive outcome. The Speaker claims he is privy to special, classified information that justifies support for this massive [aid] package. If this critical information exists, all elected representatives who are being asked to vote on this massive spending package should have access to it.
Republican leaders in the Senate argue that Russia will roll through Ukraine and into NATO if we don’t immediately send another $60 billion dollars we don’t have. I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a letter signed by 50 or so ‘high ranking, former intelligence officials’ confirming this and the dire consequences of delay.
Don’t fall for it.
I had a classified briefing from the Department of Defense just this morning. I can tell you there is no justification to prioritize Ukraine’s security before our own. None. To add insult to injury, we are financing this conflict on the backs of the American taxpayer.
As I said earlier, this country is $35 trillion in debt. Today, we’re printing $80,000 dollars a second. You heard that right – $80,000 a second. $4.6 million a minute. I want this body to explain that to the American people [in the] next election. This is irresponsible and unsustainable.
On top of all that, we are now considering adding $95 billion to that mountain of debt with this foreign [aid] package. This funding will be financed by deficit spending the American people will eventually have to pay back. This group doesn’t have to pay it – the American people do. It’s easy to spend somebody else’s money. Unlike this so-called loan to Ukraine, ‘loan’ we’re hearing, which will never be repaid. Don’t be fooled. Unfortunately, some of my colleagues will vote yes on this bill claiming […] this money for Ukraine is a loan. This was a concept originally floated by President Trump. However, this bill only allows the President to set the terms of loan repayment [… ] it lets him cancel repayment anytime and the interest on it. [This] sounds a little fishy to me. I, and the majority of Americans, am highly skeptical that we will ever see a cent paid back to American taxpayers.
The chickens are coming home to roost, and when they do, it’s going to get really, really ugly. Every member of this body should be laser focused on getting our own house in order – not bankrolling foreign wars. $26 billion of this foreign aid package is supposedly for Israel.
Sadly, that’s not reality.
If you read the fine print, $9 billion of that funding would go to the Palestinians for what is being billed as humanitarian aid for Gaza. Of course, sending any money to Gaza will immediately be used to line the pockets of Hamas terrorists. They will provide zero relief to the civilians suffering under their control. There is no requirement that ANY hostages, also in this bill, be released in exchange for this money.
[…]
Why in the world would America agree to funding both sides of this war?
Israel is our greatest ally in the Middle East. We should be standing firm in support of our friends in their battle against Hamas. Sadly, the White House is more focused on playing politics and appeasing the radical pro-Palestinian base.
Why else would we send billions of dollars to Hamas? Is this a political payoff in an election year? Sounds like it to me.
What a sad state of affairs this country is in.
While Congress rushes to bankroll Ukraine and the Palestinians, our leadership is avoiding the key crisis facing our nation – our southern border. Wake up. According to a recent Gallup poll, immigration is the top concern of [the] people in this country that pay our bills. But the American people were just sold out – it’s that simple.
You are witnessing the Swamp at its worst. A swamp more concerned about maintaining power and being smarter than everybody else and lining the pockets of their friends than representing the interest of American people.
Colleagues – wake up. The clock is ticking.
How many Americans must die before we take our own security as seriously as we take on other people’s borders including Ukraine?
We lose 100,000 people a year to fentanyl. Does anybody care in this body? I haven’t heard it. This is a direct result of the border policies of President Biden. Fentanyl is manufactured in China and run by the cartels in Mexico.
At what point does that horrific reality become important enough for us to come in here, and vote, and shut this dang border down?
The left loves to tell us about threats.
What kills more Americans than the Biden border policy? What kills more Americans than the Biden border policy? Nothing.
[This is] the biggest disaster in history since I have been alive, and a citizen of this country.
Ukraine is losing soldiers, but far fewer than the number of Americans who are dying from fentanyl. We have to take care of our own people before we take care of the rest of the world.
The Biden Administration is failing this country. We know what the problem is, and we know the solution. But nobody wants to solve it. That’s an ineffective government.
President Trump proved that we can get operational control of the border. He had control. The problem is no one in this administration or this body actually wants to solve the problem.
Which means we are also failing this country. Americans are counting on this body to stand up and correct the course.
I hope we don’t let them down.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.
###
