Rand Paul Pushes ‘Conditional’ Foreign Aid

Insists Recipients of US Aid 'Act Like Allies'

by Jason Ditz, September 21, 2012

While his father Rep. Ron Paul (R – TX) has made a career of loudly condemning foreign aid on general principle (along with a myriad of other types of government largesse), Sen. Rand Paul’s (R – KY) recent criticism of US foreign aid policies has taken on a very different tone, at least beneath the veneer.

Its not that the US government is spending tens of billions of dollars it doesn’t have that the younger Paul objects to, you see. Rather, he’s annoyed that the money isn’t buying the pretense of gratitude he seems to think it should, and wants to slap conditions on it.

“If you want to cash an American check than act like an ally,” Paul insisted, saying he believes it is unacceptable to be sending aid to nations like Egypt and Pakistan while anti-US protests are continuing in the streets.

Interestingly, Sen. Paul doesn’t seem to believe that recipients of US aid will actually become proper allies, and openly mocks that suggestion in his comments. But instead of taking his comments to their logical conclusion he ultimately decides that the pretense of alliance is good enough for him, and for America.

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