The House of Representatives passed four foreign aid bills for Israel and Ukraine Friday that will be voted on as a single bill in the Senate. Notably, $9 billion of the combined package will go toward humanitarian aid for Gaza, which many Republicans have railed against, saying it will go to Hamas. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) announced in a recent appearance on Fox Business's Mornings with Maria that he would try to eliminate the aid for Gaza, which he called "the stupidest idea ever."
"Here is what is frustrating," Sen. Scott said in response to host Maria Bartiromo's question on whether he supported the aid package, "the House passes individual bills, and they put it together, so we have to vote on them together. And [Senator] Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is not going to allow us to have any amendments. So think about this: Do I support Israel aid? Yes, and by the way, every Democrat voted against Israel aid in the past, but do I support giving money that Biden can give to Gaza, which goes to Hamas? Absolutely not."
Additionally, Sen. Scott slammed the Democrats' refusal to have a vote on his Stop Taxpayer Funding of Hamas Act, which he introduced last February, which would prohibit funding of humanitarian aid to Gaza unless it could be guaranteed not to go to Hamas.
After all, "They are still holding American hostages and American bodies, Hamas is. So I am going to look at the bill, [and] I am going to see if we can separate it. I am going to see if I can get my amendment on the bills, but we will see. Israel aid, I am all in. But this giving money potentially to Hamas is the stupidest idea ever," Scott continued.
Bartiromo noted that Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) made a similar observation on Sunday Morning Futures, where he said the $9 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza was "a really good deal for Hamas."
Scott further added, "We know everything that goes into Gaza; a portion of it goes to Hamas. I mean, they took all of these dollars we put in [and] other countries put in to help Gaza in the past, and they built all of those tunnels," referencing the elaborate, sophisticated tunnel system Israeli Defense Forces have uncovered and destroyed as evidence of how Hamas steals aid.
Moreover, none of the four bills contain any provisions to secure America's border, which the Florida Senator called "the biggest issue in the country."
"There is nothing in this bill, but we are going to help Ukraine protect their border. Look, I want Ukraine to win [and] I want Russia to lose. But I want a secure southern border. I mean, we have got to focus on our issues first," Scott concluded.
