Republican Senator Rand Paul has introduced a Bill to eliminate American aid to Pakistan for good and divert the money for infrastructure projects within the United States. A companion legislation is slated to be introduced in the House of Representatives by Democrat Tulsi Gabbard and Republican Mark Sanford.
The move by the lawmakers comes on the heels of the Trump Administration’s announcement earlier this month, freezing nearly $2 billion in security aid to Pakistan for not acting decisively against terrorist groups operating from its soil.
Paul’s legislation seeks to prohibit the State Department and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) from “sending American taxpayer dollars to Pakistan”. “Instead, the bill would redirect those funds, amounting to $1.28 billion from the State Department and $852 million from USAID, to the Highway Trust Fund,” Paul said in a statement.
“We fail our responsibilities to protect our country and properly steward taxpayers’ hard-earned money when we support countries that chant ‘Death to America’ and burn our flag,” he said, pointing to the aggressive anti-American protests in Pakistan.
“Let’s bring that money home and use it to help rebuild our infrastructure instead of giving it to a nation that persecutes Christians and imprisons people such as the doctor that helped us get Osama bin Laden,” Paul said.
A long-time critic of Pakistan, Paul had back in 2012 introduced an amendment to limit foreign assistance to Pakistan unless it released Dr. Shakil Afridi.