Rick Scott warns ‘stupid and dangerous’ American foreign aid could fuel Hamas

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., pushed back on foreign aid legislation passed by the U.S. House on Saturday, criticizing how certain funds could potentially go to Hamas.

“Why would the U.S. government funnel BILLIONS of dollars to Hamas-controlled Gaza knowing that it will land in the hands of the Iran-backed terrorists?” Scott asked on social media.

“It’s stupid and dangerous. Time for Democrats to get some sense and allow passage of my Stop Taxpayer Funding of Hamas Act,” he said.

Scott also spoke on Fox Business about the funding on Monday, disapproving of the legislation.

He pointed out how the House passed separate foreign aid bills, but when they make it to the Senate, they will be compiled together.

“Do I support Israel aid? Yes. And by the way, every Democrat voted against the Israel aid in the past. But do I support money that Biden can potentially give to Gazans, which goes to Hamas? Absolutely not,” he explained.

“I’ve got a bill that the Democrats will not allow me to have a vote on. It says, stop taxpayer funding for Hamas,” he said. “We know if money goes into Gaza, it’s going to Hamas. They’re still holding American hostages and American bodies…”

Scott said that he’s going to see if the bills can be split up again, or if he can add amendments to the overall legislation before a vote is forced on it.

“This giving money potentially to Hamas is the stupidest idea ever,” he said.

Scott also agreed that Hamas would receive roughly billions out of the $95 billion in foreign aid that Congress passed.

“Before we spend a dime in Gaza, why don’t we get our hostages back? Why doesn’t Israel get its hostages back?” he asked. “And the other thing is, the House passed nothing to secure our southern border.”

He ultimately emphasized how America needs to focus on its own issues first, such as illegal immigration, before it focuses on delivering more funding to places like Ukraine.