By Congressman Markwayne Mullin
Recently, President Trump announced he would stop foreign aid to Pakistan. I fully support his initiative because it is as simple as this: countries that do not share our goal of ending global terrorism should never receive funding from the United States government. As a country that has encouraged and cultivated terrorism within its own borders, Pakistan has no place receiving billions of dollars in U.S. aid as we continue to fight the War on Terror in the aftermath of September 11, 2001.
Similarly, the United States is the single, greatest contributor to the United Nations each year. American taxpayers are on the hook for 22 percent of the United Nations’ general budget and more than 28 percent of the organization’s peacekeeping missions. This international body, who recently held a vote to reprimand the United States for its decision to relocate its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem, is the very same organization that requires the United States to pay billions each year for its operations and peacekeeping missions. We recognize the importance our contributions have had on the United Nations, but our generosity should not be taken for granted. I commend the President and Ambassador Haley for their strong and principled stance in support of Israel.
The United States will never abandon its allies in their time of need. But for far too long, the United States has put its own well-being on hold in order to send resources and military troops to foreign countries. We should not be sending money we do not have to people who do not support us. The United States government should never forget that its responsibility is, first and foremost, to the American people. It is high time that our government leaders put America first and I am grateful to President Trump for his bold efforts to do exactly that.
