Senate Votes on Paul Egypt Aid Amendment

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday the U.S. Senate voted on Sen. Rand Paul’s amendment to S. 1243, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill. Amendment No. 1739 stops military foreign assistance to Egypt by enforcing current law that the Obama Administration is violating, which prohibits the United States from providing foreign assistance to nations that experience a military coups d’état. That money would be redirected to the “Bridges in Critical Corridors” fund in S.1243. Click HERE to read Amendment No. 1739 in its entirety.

 The amendment was tabled, with a vote of 13-86.

Prior to the vote, Sen. Paul took to the Senate floor to discuss his amendment.

“The law is very clear. Everyone here in Congress can read. They recognize, that the law says when there is a military coup, the aid must end. Today we will vote on whether or not they will obey the law or whether they will openly flout the law and disobey. When a military coup overturns a democratically elected government, all military aid must end. That’s the law. There is no presidential waiver.
 
The law states unequivocally that the aid must end. So when the military coup occurred in Egypt, how did the President respond? How did Congress respond? The President and his cohorts in Congress responded by shoveling good money after bad into the failed state of Egypt. The President is intent on building nations abroad and not taking care of our nation here at home.
 
I propose that we take the billion dollars that is now being illegally given to Egypt and spend it at home. We have bridges crumbling at home. Can’t we fix some of our problems at home? We have had a bridge collapse this year in Washington state. We had one collapse in Minnesota a few years ago. We have a bridge in northern Kentucky that is becoming increasingly unsafe, and yet there is not enough money to repair our bridges because your politicians are sending the money overseas. It’s unwise, and right now it’s illegal.”

CLICK HERE TO WATCH SEN. PAUL DISCUSS HIS AMENDMENT