Senate Blocks Rand Paul’s Bill to Give Money to Hurricane Victims Instead of Foreign Dictators

‘As estimates to fix the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey reach over $100 billion, the U.S. Congress has pushed for a bill that would raise the national debt in order to pay for it. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul suggested a different solution—why not make cuts to foreign aid in order to help Americans in need?
“In Washington, we have a disease—or a syndrome, rather. I call it the ‘dinosaur syndrome,’ big hearts, small brains. Unfortunately, it’s a reoccurring problem. Year after year, bill after bill, day after day,” Paul said during a speech on the Senate floor. “In Washington, it is argued that you are more compassionate if you give away more of someone else’s money. I would argue that true compassion is in giving your own money away. I would argue that truly rational policy is giving away money that you have. So it’s one thing to give away other people’s money, it’s another thing to give away money that you don’t even possess.”
According to estimates from three independent groups who specialize in disaster relief and risk management, the cost of Hurricane Harvey “ranged from $70 billion to $108 billion,” meaning that the storm has arguably done more damage than any natural disaster in the United States, since at least 1980.’
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