Disclose Act of 2012--Motion to Proceed
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, the question remains should taxpayers be forced to send money overseas to countries that disrespect us or, more precisely, should we borrow money from China to send it to countries that disrespect us. Should we borrow money from China to send to Pakistan? Should we borrow money from China to send to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt? Should we send good money after bad?
For a decade we searched for bin Laden. We spent hundreds of billions of dollars searching for him. Where did we find him? Not in the remote mountains; we found him living comfortably in a city in Pakistan. We found him living in the middle of the city not far from a military academy. We were helped in this search by a doctor, a brave doctor in Pakistan by the name of Dr. Shakil Afridi, who helped us find bin Laden, helped us with ultimately getting bin Laden. How was he rewarded for this heroism? Where is Dr. Shakil Afridi now? He has been imprisoned by the Pakistani Government for 33 years.
For 10 years we searched for bin Laden high and low throughout Afghanistan, throughout the world, throughout the mountains. We found him living comfortably in a city only miles from a military academy, and then the doctor who helped us Pakistan has now imprisoned for 33 years.
How did the President respond to this? How did President Obama's administration respond to the imprisoning of this doctor, the doctor who helped us get bin Laden? President Obama sent them another $1 billion last week. We already sent Pakistan $2 billion, and they disrespect us, so what did we do? We sent them another $1 billion. People around this town are bemoaning there is not enough money for our military. Yet we took $1 billion out of the Defense Department, an extra $1 billion, and sent it to Pakistan last week. Where is Dr. Afridi? In jail for 33 years.
I have obtained the signatures necessary to have a vote on this. The leadership does not want to allow a vote on this, but I will, one way or another, get a vote on ending aid to Pakistan if they continue to imprison this doctor. He has an appeal that will be heard this Thursday. If he is not successful in his appeal, if he is still imprisoned for life, we will have a vote in the Senate on ending all aid to Pakistan--not a small portion of their aid, every penny of their aid, including the $1 billion they got last week. We will attempt to stop all aid to Pakistan.
I ask any of the Senators to step forward if they think it is a good idea and tell the American people why they are sending their money to Pakistan. We have bridges crumbling, we have roads crumbling, we have schools crumbling, and we are sending money to Pakistan, which disrespected us. We spent billions, if not maybe trillions of dollars, on the wars in Pakistan and Afghanistan trying to get bin Laden and then the doctor who helps us is now in jail for 33 years.
Everywhere I go across our country--in my State in Kentucky we have two bridges that need to be replaced. We have one in the middle of one of our major cities that was closed down for 6 months last year for repairs. We don't have the money to repair our infrastructure. We are $1 trillion short of money, period. We are borrowing over $1 trillion a year. We now have a $16 trillion debt that equals our entire economy. Yet they are still sending taxpayer money to dictators overseas who disrespect us. Eighty percent of the public thinks this should come to an end. If we ask this question: Should we be sending this money overseas when we have difficulty and needs and wants at home, 80 percent of the public would say it should end. Yet when we force this body to vote, 80 percent of your Representatives are for sending more aid overseas. They were all clamoring and clapping their hands last week when President Obama said he sent another $1 billion overseas--they all stand and clap.
I don't think the American taxpayer is clapping. I don't think the American taxpayer is happy we are $1 trillion in the hole and still sending this money overseas to countries that disrespect us.
What I say to Pakistan is if they want to be our ally, act like it. If they want to be our ally, respect us. If they want to be our ally, work with us on the war on terrorism. But if they want to be our ally, don't hold Dr. Afridi, don't hold political prisoners, don't hold people who are actually working with us to get bin Laden.
I will do everything in my power to get this vote. They don't want to have this vote. They like foreign aid over here. They all love sending taxpayer money overseas, but they don't want to vote on it so they have been blocking this vote and they will attempt to block my vote. I have the signatures necessary and you will see me on the floor next week.
If Dr. Afridi is still in jail next week, I will make them vote on this. It is the least taxpayers deserve. The taxpayers deserve to know why their Senators are voting to send their money overseas when we are $1 trillion in the hole. Why are their Senators voting to send trillions of dollars to Pakistan when they imprison the guy who helped us get bin Laden. It is unconscionable. It has to stop. The debt is a threat to taxpayers, our country, a threat to the Republic, and I will do everything I can to force a vote on this and then the American people can decide. They can decide whether they want to keep sending these people back to Washington who are sending their money overseas to people who have no respect for us.
I will do everything in my power to have this vote and we will record the Senate. Your representatives will be recorded on whether they want to continue sending your money to Pakistan while Pakistan imprisons this doctor who helped us get bin Laden.
I yield the remainder of my time.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source