Republicans want to slash 'aid' to Iraq, Lebanon, UN
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Republicans in Congress want to decrease financing to the UN, Lebanon, and Iraq, as well as cash that would allow the Biden administration to implement a new nuclear deal with Iran.
Republicans in Congress want to decrease financing to the UN, Lebanon, and Iraq, as well as cash that would allow the Biden administration to implement a new nuclear deal with Iran.
The Republican Study Committee, Congress's largest conservative caucus, released their fiscal year 2023 budget plan on Thursday, a piece of which was acquired exclusively by The Washington Free Beacon. The Republican budget proposal's national security section contains historic proposals that will fundamentally affect US foreign policy by eliminating millions of dollars in regional expenditures.
In addition to cutting foreign aid projects that Republican lawmakers claim benefit "Iranian-backed militants like Hezbollah", the RSC is working to codify legislation that would prohibit the Biden administration from spending taxpayer dollars to implement a new nuclear deal with Tehran, effectively killing the deal the moment it is signed. Simultaneously, the budget would expand US financing to "Israel" in order to aggravate Iran.
While Democrats are certain to oppose the majority of the initiatives, the budget is intended to send a message to the White House that if Republicans win a majority in the November elections, they would attempt to undercut the administration's foreign policy goals.
According to Rep. Jim Banks (R., Ind.), RSC chair and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, "After two years of Joe Biden, the world is more chaotic and dangerous than ever before," adding that "But one thing hasn’t changed since Trump was in the White House: a strong America will always make the world safer. RSC’s budget provides a blueprint for taking on Iran’s terrorist regime, Putin’s aggression, and the new threat of jihadist terrorists in Afghanistan."
The RSC wants the United States to cut funding to what it described as "Iranian puppet regimes in the Middle East," notably Lebanon, which they claim is ruled by Iran-backed Hezbollah.
The Biden administration said earlier this year that it will repurpose $67 million in Lebanese armed forces (LAF) funds and give another $16.5 million to the country's Internal Security Forces. Republicans claim that this cash is being used as "a slush fund in a country where Hezbollah’s economic presence is endemic."
the RSC Budget supports cutting off aid for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) since it claims that Lebanon’s government has come "fully under Hezbollah’s control" as the party has has "a monopoly on the use of force in the country."
The Republican proposal also threatens American aid to Iraq.
The RSC seeks to reduce public money to Iraq's Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Defense, both of which claim to collaborate with Iranian-backed organizations.
Iran and Iran-aligned groups continue to have strong ties to some elements of Iraq’s traditional security forces, the RSC said. the Pentagon claimed in February as part of an inspector general report that is fueling the Republican bid to stop funding these parties.
American assistance to the United Nations is also under consideration. Republicans seek to reduce money for United Nations-run projects in parts of Syria controlled by President Bashar al-Assad.
The budget plan also contains Iran sanctions that legislators claim are the strongest in history. These clauses are intended to send a message to both the Biden administration and Iran that any sanctions relief provided as part of a nuclear deal would not last in a Republican-controlled Congress.
The RSC budget would increase US aid to "Israel", which pro-"Israel" Democrats are sure to embrace.
