[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 8 (Thursday, January 20, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H359]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        SPENDING AND FOREIGN AID

  (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, finally Congress says it will rein in 
out-of-control spending. My neighbors in Texas are a little cynical and 
say, ``Prove it.'' One suggestion I keep hearing is regarding foreign 
aid. My friend, Sammy Mahan, a towing service operator, told me to quit 
giving money to dictators. Well, there's a thought.
  There are 192 countries, and the United States gives money to roughly 
150 of them. With our economic times, 15 million unemployed and the 
debt monster looming over us, it's time we reevaluate the citizen money 
we give away.
  Someone has said that ``foreign aid is taking money from the poor 
people in rich nations and giving it to rich people in poor nations''. 
And many of these receivers of taxpayer money don't even like us. As my 
friend, the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Louie Gohmert says, ``We don't 
need to pay them to hate us. They'll do it on their own.''
  We even give money away to China. We should reevaluate the money we 
give each nation. I suspect Israel and maybe a few others would and 
should receive U.S. help, but the rest need to go it on their own. 
After all, we should take care of America first.
  And that's just the way it is.

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