Trump-aligned group opposes Biden’s $106B foreign aid bill.
America First Policy Institute Opposes Biden’s Foreign Aid Supplemental
A nonprofit think tank founded by former President Donald Trump’s allies has come out against President Joe Biden’s $106 billion foreign aid supplemental, citing opposition to linking funding for Ukraine along with assistance for Israel in its battle against the terrorist group Hamas.
The America First Policy Institute, made up of dozens of former Trump White House officials, including President Brooke Rollins, Trump’s former domestic policy chief, opposed Biden’s request on Monday and claimed that since Ukraine’s war with Russia is now 600 days old, it is “not an emergency,” and therefore, the $61.4 billion in Ukraine funding should be separate from Biden’s supplemental.
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The group also protested Biden’s request for $14 billion for border security included in the supplemental, arguing for decreasing illegal immigration in the United States instead of the president’s “failed policy” of handling immigrants at the southern border.
“Throwing more money at the border is not the answer,” Chad Wolf, executive director of the America First Policy Institute and former acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement.
Instead, the group criticized Biden’s supplemental for ignoring the House-passed Secure the Border Act, which resumes construction of a border wall, increases Border Patrol agents, and criminalizes visa overstays.
This stance mirrors Trump’s previous comments about the war in the Middle East. In multiple campaign rallies since the Oct. 7 battle between Israel and Hamas began, Trump has claimed he will reinstate his 2017 travel ban, which targeted immigrants from Muslim-majority countries.
“Biden canceled my travel ban on terror-plagued nations. He threw open our borders, surrendered to the Taliban,” Trump slammed Biden during a campaign stop in Derry, New Hampshire, last week. “This is the sickness and depravity that Joe Biden and his open borders maniacs want to bring to America, and we will not let them do it. We’re gonna close it up and … if you want to come into the country, you can, but you have to come in legally.”
Trump also claimed that members of Hamas, which launched a surprise attack on Israel that killed more than 1,400 people, could be attempting to enter the U.S. through the southern border.
“I will implement strong ideological screening of all immigrants,” Trump continued. “If you hate America, if you want to abolish Israel, if you don’t like our religion, which a lot of them don’t, if you sympathize with jihadists, then we don’t want you in our country, and you are not getting in.”
America First Policy Institute also slammed other spending proposals calling for a match in spending cuts from Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
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“America does not have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem,” Michael Faulkender, chief economist of the group and former assistant secretary for economic policy at the Treasury Department, said in a statement. “Simply by eliminating Joe Biden’s wasteful radical left spending on things we don’t need, our country can redirect that money to our friends, allies, and the issues that matter most to the security of the American people.”
The group pointed to rescinding nearly $22 billion in federal and state subsidies and regulatory credits related to producing electric vehicles as one tactic in offsetting the non-Ukraine supplemental requests from Biden.
What is the America First Policy Institute’s objection to linking funding for Ukraine and assistance for Israel in the fight against Hamas?
H3>Opposition to Linking Funding for Ukraine and Israel
The America First Policy Institute’s opposition to President Biden’s foreign aid supplemental stems from its objection to linking funding for Ukraine and assistance for Israel in its battle against Hamas. The institute argues that the 600-day-long war between Ukraine and Russia is no longer an emergency and, therefore, the funding for Ukraine should be separate from the overall supplemental package. President Brooke Rollins, a former domestic policy chief under President Trump, stated the institute’s position on Monday, affirming that the $61.4 billion funding allocated for Ukraine should be disassociated from President Biden’s request. The America First Policy Institute, comprised of several former Trump White House officials, including Rollins, opposes the conflation of these two issues and prioritizes the fair allocation of resources. In addition to its opposition to linking Ukraine and Israel funding, the America First Policy Institute also expressed its protest against President Biden’s request for $14 billion in border security funding included in the supplemental. The institute argues for a different approach to dealing with immigration issues, one that focuses on decreasing illegal immigration rather than continuing the current handling of border policies. Chad Wolf, the executive director of the America First Policy Institute and a former acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, emphasized that allocating more money to the border is not the solution. The institute’s stance criticizes the Biden administration for overlooking the House-passed Secure the Border Act, which not only resumes the construction of a border wall but also increases the number of Border Patrol agents and provides consequences for visa overstays. It is worth noting that the America First Policy Institute’s opposition to the foreign aid supplemental and its focus on immigration concerns echo former President Trump’s previous comments and policies regarding the Middle East. Trump has repeatedly expressed his intention to reinstate the travel ban he implemented in 2017, which targeted immigrants from Muslim-majority countries. This aligns with the institute’s emphasis on border security and its criticism of President Biden’s handling of immigrants at the southern border. In conclusion, the America First Policy Institute, founded by former President Trump’s allies, opposes President Biden’s foreign aid supplemental due to its objection to linking funding for Ukraine and Israel in the fight against Hamas. The institute also criticizes the supplemental for its approach to border security and immigration, advocating for a different strategy to address these issues. This opposition and criticism are consistent with the institute’s alignment with Trump’s previous stances on these matters.Protest Against Border Security Funding
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