[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 17985]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              FOREIGN AID

  (Mr. PRICE of North Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, of all the extreme 
statements we've heard coming out of the Republican Presidential 
debates in recent weeks, perhaps none is more alarming than the idea 
that we should ``cut foreign aid to zero''--even for steadfast U.S. 
allies, even for critical global health and antiterrorism efforts.
  We might dismiss this ridiculous assertion as a ``hail Mary'' from a 
candidate desperate to revive his flagging chances, were it not for the 
fact that it drew heavy applause from the Republican voters in the 
audience and eager agreement from the rest of the Republican field, 
including the presumptive frontrunner.
  Is this the state of today's Republican Party, the party of 
internationalists such as Teddy Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, and 
Ronald Reagan? ``Cut foreign aid to zero?''
  Foreign aid has always been an easy target for demagogues, especially 
during difficult economic times, but the reality is that it is one of 
the most cost-effective investments our Nation makes. For about 1 
percent of our annual budget, it strengthens key allies such as Israel, 
the Palestine Authority, Afghanistan, and Egypt; it promotes economic 
development that benefits American companies and creates jobs back 
home; it helps us respond to humanitarian disasters and supports 
democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Suggestions that we 
should ``start at zero'' and ask our allies to come to us hat in hand 
are simply preposterous.

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