【SNSD】テヨン応援スレ☆16【TaeYeon】
Texas Gov. Rick Perry said he would cut the United States' foreign aid budget to
zero and then allocate taxpayer dollars depending on each country's support for
America, indicating that Pakistan would no longer receive U.S. aid but Israel would.
"It's time for us as a country to say no to foreign aid to countries that don't
support the United States of America," Perry said. His idea received support from
former House Speaker Newt Gingrich but, in the case of Pakistan, was opposed by
Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum at
the CBS News/National Journal debate in Spartanburg, S.C. Perry made his
comments during a discussion on Pakistan. The American relationship with that
country has become strained since the covert operation by U.S. Marines killed
Osama bin Laden, who had been hiding in the country for years. In explaining his
agreement with Perry, Gingrich appeared to indicate that no thought goes into
deciding how much aid each country receives. "Consider the alternative," Gingrich
said. "You're giving some country $7 billion a year. You start off-- or in the case
of Egypt, $3 billion a year -- you start off every year and say here's your $3
billion, now I'll start thinking? You ought to start off at zero and say, explain
to me why I should give you a penny." Bachmann, who sits on the House
Intelligence Committee, depicted foreign aid for Pakistan as a national security
issue. "I would reduce foreign aid to many, many countries, but there's a problem
because Pakistan has a nuclear weapon," Bachmann said. "We have more people
affiliated with al Qaeda closer to that nuclear bomb than in any other nation."
For Santorum, Pakistan "must be a friend of the United States" for the same
reason. "Pakistan is a nuclear power, and there are people in that country if they
gain control of that country will create a situation equal to the situation that is
now percolating in Iran," Santorum said. "So we can't be indecisive about
whether Pakistan is our friend. They must be our friend, and we must engage
them as friends." The foreign aid budget is a familiar punching bag for political
candidates but only accounts for a small percentage of the entire federal
budget. Earlier this year, PolitiFact.com reported that in the 2008 and 2009
fiscal years U.S. spending on foreign aid amounted to $49.1 billion and $44.9
billion respectively, or slightly more than 1 percent of the U.S. budget each year.
For the 2012 fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, President Obama requested $50.8
billion for foreign aid. In response to a viewer question submitted via Twitter
about the amount of aid Israel would receive, Perry indicated that he'd support
providing the country with aid. He also considered expanding the case-by-case
budgetary method to federal departments, making a reference to a debate
earlier this week in which he could only name two of the three departments he
wanted to defund. "Obviously, Israel is a special ally, and my bet is that we
would be funding them at some substantial level," Perry said. "But it makes
sense for everyone to come in at zero and make your case. As a matter of
fact, we ought to try doing that with some of those agencies that I was
trying to think the name of." By the end of the debate, the Perry campaign had
issued a statement clarifying that he's "a friend to Israel and understands the
challenges faced by the country," according to Talking Points Memo. "We
must not let any daylight show between our two nations," the statement says,
adding that Perry "does not believe weakening Israel is the road to peace.
A strong Israel is in the best interests of the United States and the region."
zero and then allocate taxpayer dollars depending on each country's support for
America, indicating that Pakistan would no longer receive U.S. aid but Israel would.
"It's time for us as a country to say no to foreign aid to countries that don't
support the United States of America," Perry said. His idea received support from
former House Speaker Newt Gingrich but, in the case of Pakistan, was opposed by
Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum at
the CBS News/National Journal debate in Spartanburg, S.C. Perry made his
comments during a discussion on Pakistan. The American relationship with that
country has become strained since the covert operation by U.S. Marines killed
Osama bin Laden, who had been hiding in the country for years. In explaining his
agreement with Perry, Gingrich appeared to indicate that no thought goes into
deciding how much aid each country receives. "Consider the alternative," Gingrich
said. "You're giving some country $7 billion a year. You start off-- or in the case
of Egypt, $3 billion a year -- you start off every year and say here's your $3
billion, now I'll start thinking? You ought to start off at zero and say, explain
to me why I should give you a penny." Bachmann, who sits on the House
Intelligence Committee, depicted foreign aid for Pakistan as a national security
issue. "I would reduce foreign aid to many, many countries, but there's a problem
because Pakistan has a nuclear weapon," Bachmann said. "We have more people
affiliated with al Qaeda closer to that nuclear bomb than in any other nation."
For Santorum, Pakistan "must be a friend of the United States" for the same
reason. "Pakistan is a nuclear power, and there are people in that country if they
gain control of that country will create a situation equal to the situation that is
now percolating in Iran," Santorum said. "So we can't be indecisive about
whether Pakistan is our friend. They must be our friend, and we must engage
them as friends." The foreign aid budget is a familiar punching bag for political
candidates but only accounts for a small percentage of the entire federal
budget. Earlier this year, PolitiFact.com reported that in the 2008 and 2009
fiscal years U.S. spending on foreign aid amounted to $49.1 billion and $44.9
billion respectively, or slightly more than 1 percent of the U.S. budget each year.
For the 2012 fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, President Obama requested $50.8
billion for foreign aid. In response to a viewer question submitted via Twitter
about the amount of aid Israel would receive, Perry indicated that he'd support
providing the country with aid. He also considered expanding the case-by-case
budgetary method to federal departments, making a reference to a debate
earlier this week in which he could only name two of the three departments he
wanted to defund. "Obviously, Israel is a special ally, and my bet is that we
would be funding them at some substantial level," Perry said. "But it makes
sense for everyone to come in at zero and make your case. As a matter of
fact, we ought to try doing that with some of those agencies that I was
trying to think the name of." By the end of the debate, the Perry campaign had
issued a statement clarifying that he's "a friend to Israel and understands the
challenges faced by the country," according to Talking Points Memo. "We
must not let any daylight show between our two nations," the statement says,
adding that Perry "does not believe weakening Israel is the road to peace.
A strong Israel is in the best interests of the United States and the region."
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