Rubio, Scott vote down foreign aid: ‘Americans are tired of always being told they’re second.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio scathed his colleagues in Congress for continuously treating Americans as though they are “second” to other countries.
Rubio’s comments come as the border crisis has gained increased attention amidst the Biden administration’s power struggle to tear down border barriers erected by Texas. The state recently invoked self defense authority to quell the migrant “invasion.”
The Senate was also considering a bill that had tens of billions more dollars for other countries, like Ukraine, and only $20 billion for the U.S. border with Mexico.
“My problem is, we are here – we met through Super Bowl weekend, and all of it is fine with me,” Rubio said. “What I wonder is what people back home are saying.”
“‘You guys will stay up there for days at a time, canceled trips, whatever it is you’re going to do to help other countries with their invasion. But you never do that for us,'” Rubio said. “‘We have an invasion going on right now. Right? And you won’t give that priority.'”
“Americans are tired of always being told they’re second second to another country, second to an interest group, second to something – the global economy, whatever it might be,” he said. “They’re tired of it. And I think that’s being exposed here – how out of touch politics has become clear to people in both parties with what the priorities are of everyday working Americans.”
The bill had $60 billion for Ukraine, $14.1 billion for Israel, almost $5 billion for Indo-Pacific countries, billions more for humanitarian assistance to regions like Gaza, and $20 billion for the border.
“We can’t let Washington keep forcing through reckless spending of YOUR tax dollars to protect Ukraine’s borders without protecting our own,” Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott said late Monday night.
Once the bill was quashed by Republicans, with both former President Donald Trump scathing it and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., declaring it would die in the House if passed, senators passed a bill that only included the tens of billions for foreign aid.
Rubio and Scott voted against the aid package.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., worked with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-K.Y., toward both packages.
Schumer recently warned that America needs to get behind more aid to Ukraine or face the possibility of American troops on the ground in a war with Russia.
In response, Florida Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, who’s been vocally critical about the border crisis and foreign aid packages, said she’s moving forward with legislation requiring politicians advocating for sending troops to Ukraine be required to fight on the “front lines” themselves.
