Duval Times

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) has spoken out against a proposed foreign-aid bill, labeling it as "moral extortion" and "legislative blackmail." In his impassioned speech on the Senate floor, Senator Rubio expressed his concerns over allocating $95 billion to foreign aid while domestic issues persist.

Senator Rubio highlighted the struggles faced by American citizens, stating, "I have senior citizens, I have veterans, and they call my office and they call our offices and they say ‘I have nowhere to live, housing is too expensive’… This is a problem that exists in America right now." He emphasized the disparity between addressing domestic issues and allocating funds for foreign aid.

The Senator criticized the notion that supporting countries like Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine, or advocating for bans like TikTok, would require voting for extensive spending on charity groups. He questioned, "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?"

Describing the bill as "legislative blackmail," Senator Rubio expressed his firm stance against compromising on vital issues to secure support for foreign aid. He asserted, "This bill is basically saying that if I don’t agree to drop my demands that the president secure our border...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."

Senator Rubio's address sheds light on the complexities of balancing foreign aid with domestic needs, sparking a debate on prioritization and accountability within government decisions.