While Nikki Haley was the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, she quickly proclaimed that the Trump administration had it right regarding humanitarian aid. While talking at a forum in March of 2018 on the campus of Florida International University in Miami, Ambassador Haley agreed with Trump’s stance that the US should only give aid to countries that “appreciate” us.
Haley opened up her remarks by clarifying, “When it comes to humanitarian assistance, the United States will always give humanitarian assistance. It’s who we are as a country. It’s what we do. We take care of people in need.”
Ambassador Haley later went on to note that both she and Trump agree that the US shouldn’t just give out aid to everyone. “We’re not gonna continue to just throw out money to countries who don’t appreciate it… we’re not gonna give billions of dollars to Iran when they’re saying death to America… we’re not gonna continue to give money to countries when they turn around and not only vote against us at the U.N. but bash us the entire time,” the former ambassador asserted.
At the end of her talk, Haley made it clear that the US will continue to fund “our friends.” She stated “You will continue to see us help the people in south Sudan. You will continue to see us help the people in Congo. We’re gonna do everything we can to make sure that people can live with dignity. That’s just the heart of America.”
With this being said, Haley emphasized that when the US funds other countries, they don’t just “throw out money.” Haley continued by saying, “They (other countries) have to also earn it (aid)... that’s the key when you’re giving assistance. We don’t have a ton of money to give out. Whether it’s a dollar, whether it’s a hundred dollars, we deserve to know who we’re giving it to is a friend and a partner.”
Haley, who’s now running for president, seems to have become a bit more generous regarding humanitarian aid compared to just a few years back– especially with countries such as Ukraine and Israel. The presidential hopeful urges her supporters that Ukraine’s sovereignty and overall security are vital for U.S. national security. She consistently calls for more funding to Ukraine.
Many critics of Haley, such as Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, believe that Haley’s ambitions for funding Ukraine aren’t what she claims, but rather corrupt. In the NBC Republican debate, Ramaswamy stated “Ukraine is not a paragon for democracy. This is a country that has banned eleven opposition parties. It has consolidated all media into one state TV media arm. That is not democratic. It has threatened to not hold elections this year unless the US forks over more money. That is not democratic.”
As election season officially kicks off, the issue of humanitarian aid and foreign policy will continue to play a very important factor – especially as candidates like Nikki Haley continue to urge for more foreign aid.
