Rand Paul introduces “Stop Arming Terrorists Act”

The United States government has an addiction to war and colonization, and the result has been never-ending conflict throughout the world — and in more recent years, the emergence of radical terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS. Political heads have been known to verbalize the need to fight these terrorist groups, but in reality their policies have actually been, in many cases, to arm and support them.

It’s something that’s been going on for a while, and Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), in the spirit of his father Dr. Ron Paul, wants to see it put to an end. To accomplish this, Sen. Paul has introduced new legislation known as the “Stop Arming Terrorists Act” (SB 532) that would bar American taxpayer dollars from being funneled to support armed militants and terrorist groups directly tied to anti-American interests.

Put forth as a companion bill to House Resolution 608 and introduced by Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), the “Stop Arming Terrorists Act” seeks to make it illegal for federal government funds to be used in procuring weapons, munitions, weapons platforms, intelligence, logistics, training, and cash to terrorist. It would also prevent the U.S. government from providing assistance to any nation or nation-state that supports terrorist groups, or has in the past.

Another provision of the bill is that the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) would be required to determine the individuals and/or groups that are to be designated as terrorists based on their activities and affiliations. The DNI would be required to work with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Armed Services Committee, and the Senate’s Select Committee on Intelligence to review and revise its list of prohibited terrorist countries and groups every six months.

“One of the unintended consequences of nation-building and open-ended intervention is American funds and weapons benefiting those who hate us,” says former Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ron Paul, Rand’s father. “This legislation will strengthen our foreign policy, enhance our national security, and safeguard our resources.”

The full text of Senate Bill 532 is available for viewing here.

American government directly supports terrorism it claims to be fighting

Rep. Gabbard’s bill takes similar aim at barring the federal government from colluding with the enemy using American taxpayer dollars. Not only are federal officials spending untold trillions of dollars trying to fulfill their own agendas in the Middle East, but in the process they’re outfitting those trying to murder Americans with weapons, ammunition, and other logistical support.

“For years, the U.S. government has been supporting armed militant groups working directly with and often under the command of terrorist groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda in their fight to overthrow the Syrian government,” says Rep. Gabbard. “Rather than spending trillions of dollars on regime change wars in the Middle East, we should be focused on defeating terrorist groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda, and using our resources to invest in rebuilding our communities here at home.”

Rep. Gabbard is outraged that government officials routinely say one thing while doing another — in this case, claiming to fight terrorism while using American tax dollars to support terrorist groups. It almost sounds too ridiculous to be true, but it isn’t. And it’s exactly why Sen. Paul and Rep. Gabbard are attempting to move forward with restrictions to stop federal officials, including those within “shadow government” groups like the Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.), from funneling weapons and cash through countries like Saudi Arabia to terrorist groups embedded throughout the Middle East.

“The fact that American taxpayer dollars are being used to strengthen the very terrorist groups we should be focused on defeating should alarm every Member of Congress and every American,” Rep. Gabbard adds, pushing for more support of her legislation. “We call on our colleagues and the Administration to join us in passing this legislation.”

Sources for this article include:

RonPaulLibertyReport.com

Paul.Senate.Gov

Gabbard.House.Gov