National Security Act, 2024
Floor Speech
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Mr. TUBERVILLE. Mr. President, I cannot believe we are here again. Americans cannot believe what we are witnessing here today.
Less than a week ago, House Republican leadership sold out Americans and passed a bill that sends $95 billion to other countries. With the Speaker's blessing, the House Rules Committee approved a package of foreign aid bills that undermines America's interest abroad and paves our Nation's path to bankruptcy.
The Speaker relied on Democrats to force this $95 billion package through committee, over the objection of three conservative Members.
Unfortunately, our leadership here in the Senate, both Democratic and Republican, are complicit.
The Senate is about to follow the House's lead, further violating the trust of those who sent us here. We are about to vote on another $60 billion for Ukraine; this, on top of the $120 billion American taxpayers have already sent to this black hole, with no accountability.
We are a country that is $35 trillion in debt. We are a country whose southern border is wide open thanks to the Biden administration. Illegal immigrants are invading our country. Drugs, including fentanyl, are flooding across, killing hundreds--hundreds--of Americans a day.
We are printing money for other countries while inflation continues to crush the American citizen. Not one dollar of this bill is paid for or offset. Not one. We will have to print more money or borrow it from China, all to fund foreign wars while we are losing the fight at our own southern border.
What we are doing is a slap in the face to the Americans who sent us here to represent them. Instead of debating legislation to close the border and fix the economy, we are about to send billions of dollars to one of the most corrupt countries in the world.
The war in Ukraine is a stalemate. It has been for a while. Pouring more money into Ukraine's coffers will only prolong the conflict and lead to more loss of life. No one at the White House, Pentagon, or the State Department can articulate what victory looks like in this fight.
They couldn't when we sent the first tranche of aid over 2 years ago and they still can't do it over 2 years later. We should be working with Ukraine and Russia to negotiate an end to this madness. That is called diplomacy, by the way, a tactic this administration has been completely unwilling to use.
Instead, Congress is rushing to further bankroll the waging of a war that has zero chance of a positive outcome.
The Speaker claims he is privy to special, classified information that justifies support for this massive package.
If this critical information exists, all elected representatives who are being asked to vote on this massive spending package should have access to it.
Republican leaders in the Senate argue that Russia will roll through Ukraine and into NATO if we don't immediately send another $60 billion we don't have.
I wouldn't be surprised if we get a letter signed by fifty or so ``high ranking, former intelligence officials'' confirming this and the dire consequences of delay. Don't fall for it.
I had a classified briefing from the Department of Defense just this morning. I can tell you there is no justification to prioritize Ukraine's security before our own. None.
To add insult to injury, we are financing this conflict on the backs of the American taxpayer. As I said earlier, this country is $35 trillion in debt. Today we are borrowing $80,000 a second--you heard that right--$80,000 a second, $4.6 million a minute. And I want this body to explain that to the American people next election. This is irresponsible and unsustainable.
On top of that, we are now considering adding another $95 billion to that mountain of debt with this foreign aid package. This funding will be financed by deficit spending the American people will eventually have to pay back.
This group doesn't have to pay it; the American people do. It is easy to spend somebody else's money.
Unlike the so-called loan to Ukraine--loan, we are hearing, which will never be repaid--don't be fooled--unfortunately, some of my colleagues will vote yes on this bill claiming that, hey, this money for Ukraine is a loan. This was a concept originally floated by President Trump.
However, this bill not only allows the President to set the terms of loan repayment, it lets him cancel the payment any time and the interest on it. Sounds a little fishy to me.
I and the majority of Americans are highly skeptical that we will ever see a cent paid back to the American taxpayer. The chickens are going to come home to roost, and when they do, it is going to get really, really ugly. Every Member of this body should be laser-focused on getting our own house in order, not bankrolling foreign wars.
Mr. President, $46 billion of this foreign aid package is supposedly for Israel. Sadly, that is not reality.
If you read the fine print, $9 billion of that funding would go to the Palestinians for what is being billed as humanitarian aid for Gaza. Of course, sending any money to Gaza will immediately be used to line the pockets of Hamas terrorists. They will provide zero relief to the civilians suffering under their control.
There is no requirement that any hostages--also in this bill--be released for any exchange of this money. Why is that not happening? We have American citizens and we have Israeli citizens who have been captive for 5, 6 months. We are giving $20-something billion--$9 billion to the people who are holding hostages--and we are not getting any relief for the people who have been suffering as hostages going on 6 months.
Why in the world would America agree to funding both sides of this war? Israel is our greatest ally in the Middle East. We should be standing firm in support of our friends in their battle against Hamas. Sadly, the White House is more focused on playing politics and appeasing their radical, pro-Palestinian base. Why else would we send billions of dollars to Hamas? Is this a political payoff in an election year? Sounds like it to me. What a sad state of affairs this country is in.
While Congress rushes--rushes--today to bankroll Ukraine and the Palestinians, our leadership is avoiding the key crisis facing our Nation: our southern border. Wake up.
According to a recent Gallop poll, immigration is the top concern of people in this country who pay our bills, but the American people were just sold out. It is that simple.
You are witnessing the swamp at its worst--a swamp more concerned about maintaining power and being smarter than everybody else and lining the pockets of their friends than representing the interests of the American people.
Colleagues, wake up. The clock is ticking. How many Americans must die before we take on our own security as seriously as we are taking on other people's borders, including Ukraine's?
We lose 100,000 people to fentanyl. Does anybody care in this body? I haven't heard it. This is a direct result of the border policy under President Biden. Fentanyl is manufactured in China and ran by the cartel in Mexico. At what point does that horrific reality become important enough for us to come in here and vote and shut this dang border down? The left loves to tell you about threats. What kills more Americans than the Biden border policy? Nothing. It is the biggest disaster in history since I have been alive and a citizen of this country. Ukraine is losing soldiers by far fewer than the number of Americans who are dying from fentanyl. We have to take care of our own people before we take care of the rest of the world.
The Biden administration is failing this country. We know what the problem is. We know the solution. But nobody wants to solve it. That is an ineffective government.
President Trump proved that we can get operational control of our border. He had control. The problem is, no one in this administration or this body actually wants to solve this problem, which means we are also failing this country.
Americans are counting on this body to stand up and correct the course. I hope we don't let them down.
For these reasons, I will be voting against this massive supplement of taxpayer money that we don't have today going to Ukraine.
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