U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has proposed new amendments to strip foreign aid from Pakistan, Egypt and Libya, that would triple funding for a jobs bill for American veterans.The proposal is in reaction to recent protests and attacks against American consulates and embassies in Libya and Egypt, including the killing of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens. It is also aimed at drawing attention t the continued imprisonment of Shakil Afridi, a Pakistani doctor who helped the CIA locate Osama bin Laden.Total U.S. foreign aid to Pakistan, Libya and Egypt totals approximately $4 billion annually.Paul's amendment will cut that aid and put an additional $2 billion toward a veterans jobs bill that is moving its way through the Senate. The remaining $2 billion would go to deficit reduction. "I urge (Senate Majority Leader Harry) Reid to do the right thing for taxpayers and veterans: To send a message to countries that our aid can’t be taken for granted, and to stand up for our troops abroad now, and those who have returned home after serving," says Paul. "He can do all of this by allowing a vote on my amendment. My amendment would halt all foreign aid to Pakistan, Egypt, and Libya, and would use those funds to triple the size of the veterans jobs bill. The only thing now standing in the way of this is the Democratic Senate Leadership."The jobs bill seeks to train armed service members returning to the U.S. to work in the park system as well as police officers, firefighters and EMTs. But Paul's amendments on foreign aid puts a procedural hurdle in front of the jobs bill and jeopardizes its passage.Speaking on the Senate floor Thursday, Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, D-Ma., criticized Paul's amendments as short-sighted.From The Express Tribune:
